“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”
~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Dear Universe,

I’m a bit of an old soul.

I listen to songs from way before my time, I love wearing my grandmother’s jewelry and looking through old black and white family photos makes me content.

So it’s no surprise then, that when it comes to books, I am a fan of the classics.

That is why I get excited each time I enter the bookstore and see some of my favorite books refurbished with new hardcovers.  Except, instead of flashy colors, crazy graphics or racy pics, these covers look like ones from another century.

I could wander in the aisles for hours, all of the books having their own appeal, me wanting to add every single one to my collection.

Last week that is exactly what happened.

I made a trip to the bookstore—looking for children’s books—and ended up having to purchase two of my favorite stories of all time.

“Romeo and Juliet” and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

When I first read these pieces of literature, they brought me so much joy.  I was in the ninth grade when I was introduced to my first ever Shakespeare play.  (I still have the highlighted copy in my bookshelf).  And I was teaching high school when I read Wilde’s novel and fell in love with it instantly.  Both are still favorites of mine today.

I have read them countless times since, but not in a while.  I plan on rereading them as soon as vacation hits.  I can’t wait to revisit these classics, these old companions.  There are things to remember, feelings to be felt and lines to be lost in.

Call me sentimental, but I think it’s important to have traditions, to embrace the old while intertwining it with the new and to just appreciate and remember the things you enjoyed once before.

We too often forget to make time for joy and the simple pleasures—like getting lost in a book or a photo album.  We have so many new things to do, and not enough time to do them in, that repeating something from before seems like a waste of time.

It’s not.

Do what brings you joy.  Do what brings you peace.  Do what brings you happiness.  Do it a hundred times if that’s what you want to do.  And do it guilt free.

I’m a bit of an old soul.  And I’m so glad that I am.

Much Gratitude,

A