For the past eight or so years of my life, I have been in love with all things vintage. The best vintage things to me are the movies, style, technology, and romance. Many people are probably fans of vintage just like me, but they don't even realize it. For example, who doesn't love a good Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, or Audrey Hepburn movie? What clothing that we wear today is free from influence of the past? How many times do people take polaroid pictures or listen to records just to enjoy the nostalgia? And how often do girls and boys alike wish that dating could be more like it was in the 1940's and 50's?

Vintageness (a word I'm pretty sure I just invented) is such an essential part of who I am. For years, I have adapted my style to include small touches of retro and grandma-level pieces.

I like to consider myself to be an old soul. To me that is someone who is in touch with the past and feels a connection to the days of yore. So if you have stuck with me this long, you may be thinking, why am I still reading this? Let me guess...perhaps you are also a lover of all things vintage. So how can we, as lovers of the past, make a life that makes sense in the present?

I have discovered that the community of people that enjoy vintage or retro things is becoming increasingly more mainstream. The nostalgia and simplicity of the ways of old is becoming more appealing as the world of today continues to get crazier and more fast-paced. Here are some suggestions that I have for how we can keep on bringing back a blast from the past.

First, I think we can write letters. This is such a lost art with all of the technology that we can use today. Seeing the hand-written notes and letters of people from the past always makes me feel more of a connection to the reality of that person existing and having a real life. In the future all of our texts, tweets, and posts are going to be all that people can see about us. I think if we started writing handwritten journals and letters again, we would be leaving a more personal legacy.

Second, I think by remembering the past we can keep a better check on the way that we influence the future. A lot of the problems our world is facing today are things that have already been challenges in the past. If we ignore the past, we have no way to learn from any mistakes. Although I do not think that it is always best to dwell on the past, there are certainly wonderful lessons that we can learn from it.

Finally, I think we can keep enjoying and promoting vintage things. Encourage your friends to watch an Old Hollywood movie and learn from the grace and class of the film, instead of the far too frequent trash and vulgarity of modern television. Take polaroids, make a scrapbook or a physical photo album (instead of just on your phone). Listen to music from your grandparents' and parents’ Eras. Don't be afraid to wear something from a thrift shop. There are so many ways to keep the past alive!

Most importantly, learn to weave these vintage influences into modern life. There are wonderful things about both the present and the past, and I can't wait to see what the future could be with a healthy mix of both.