For My Babcia: The Original Treasure Hunter

When I was a little girl, about twice a year my mother would load her five kids, and all of their suitcases, into our much-loved blue mini van and take off on a ten hour trip to Dayton, Ohio. Now, this endeavor alone says a lot about my mother. She happens to be one of the most capable people I know and her no fear approach to a trip that long, with a bunch of squabbling little kids in the back seat, makes me just that much more in awe of her.

One of my favorite parts about going to Ohio was visiting my darling Polish grandmother, known to her grand-kids as Babcia. This tiny, feisty, white-haired woman always opened the door with a cheery "hey everybody!" and I could hear the crazy squawking of her bird, who always tried to bite me, from inside. She usually had a soccer game on TV, or basketball, or baseball, or basically any sport would do, as long as it was sports.

Babcia with my friend's and I.

Babcia's house was always so exciting because in every nook and cranny were treasures. My sisters and I had endless fun exploring bins of Barbie clothes, funny toys, and random dress ups. It was for us, magical, because we just never knew what we'd find in Babcia's house and whenever she saw us with something she'd say, "Take it!" Babcia was definitely a gift-giver by nature. It was her love language, and her constant desire to give, reflected her generous, loving heart.

 I see so much of this spirit in my own mother, her daughter, whose house is always overflowing with gifts for every neighbor, and friend of a friend, or distant relative when Christmas rolls around.
My aunts, too,  have so much of Babcia's spirit within them and "treasure-hunting" has now become a regular part of their lives. Going to a thrift store, and walking out with the most random, awesome thing is pretty magical and my aunts are all fantastic magicians. I swear, it's like a superpower!

Babcia, and her six children. My mom's the one with the awesome yellow shoes.

So, recently, I realized that I have some of this spark within me, and that it's combined with my father, the ClockMaker's, entrepreneurial side. As a result, I decided to open an Etsy shop. With the help of my Mom, the expertise of my aunts, and the encouragement of my father, I recently took a leap and opened an online store called Honestly Ophelia Vintage, selling my own treasure-hunting finds.

And I just wanted to say thank you, to my Babcia, who started it all. I love her and I miss her, but I think she'd enjoy the fact that her love of unique, kitschy, awesome things is still very alive in her four daughters, and her granddaughter. So, thank you, Babcia! You're the best.


To take a look at my Etsy shop click here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HonestlyOphelia

To see my aunts' shops click here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Felcasattic
And here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/QueenieBot

A Few Shiny Quarters: On Friendship

"I would rather have four shiny quarters than 100 dull pennies."
Such says a quotation about friendship that  I read awhile ago, and filed into one of the many Latin- verb- stuffed crevices of my poor brain. It's something, though, that has certainly stuck, unlike the fourth principle part of most of those vocabulary words.

People come and go in life, some stay for a very brief time, but make an impact nonetheless. Others, you swear will stay forever, until one day you're debating over whether or not they'd care if you sent a brief text to say "I miss you," and questioning how you got to that point.

Image by Valfre.

Personally, I've dubbed myself a "floater," since attending college. Basically, that just means that I don't have a set clique, or group of friends that I'm constantly around when I'm there. I drift from person to person, and then cycle back. That doesn't mean that I don't care about my friends, it just means that I enjoy being around a variety of different personalities and temperaments in order to stay refreshed and maintain some semblance of sanity. However, over the last two and half years, I have had many people coming in and out of my life, but I was not feeling as though I had very strong ties with any of them and that bothered me. The energy and emotion it took to try and maintain countless friendships was thinly spread between them all, so that in reality, there wasn't enough genuine love to keep them alive.

And then, when I heard the quotation about the four shiny quarters, I knew that that was what I was lacking. I didn't need TONS of friends, but just a handful of meaningful, strong friendships, those shiny quarters that would stay with me and love me at my best and at my worst; friends who would be worth loving no matter what.

Image by Valfre.

Mary Pope Osborne, the children's author of the Magic Treehouse series came and gave a lecture to the students at my college. She, too, had some great advice about friendship. "Surround yourself with people who are more talented and intelligent than you are," she said. She wasn't saying, "Make yourself feel inferior," but rather, let the people you befriend be those who inspire you, who make you feel passionate about life. Mary herself said that she was currently living with her husband, who was an actor, and two friends, one of which was a talented musician, the other an artist and that these people inspired her creativity and made her truly think outside the box.


The people who I have remained closest with may not all lead lives that allow them to concentrate entirely on their passions, but the point is, they have passions. One friend of going on ten years is a fantastic artist, who also happens to be a great trapper, fisher, and hunter. She's constantly bubbling with laughter and vibrant energy and she's continually challenging me to be more adventurous, to push myself out of my comfort zone, whether that means midnight skinny-dipping, or simply getting away from technology for awhile to go outside and enjoy the day.

Image by Valfre

Another is an aspiring writer,with a lovely soul and a constant drive to get things done. She's got the most incredible spirit and her goodness is an inspiration to me. Just as in a romantic relationship, you search for a person who makes you strive to improve yourself, your friends should certainly make you a better person, and not drag you down.

The thing I love about these people, and others, is that they don't settle for getting smashed on the weekend. They'd rather go fishing, read a good book, have a coffee date, make a good meal, or maybe have a bonfire. They aren't all the same, either. One of them loves country music and canoeing, another loves Korean dramas and anime. Some of them have never met each other, and some just don't hang out together. So my "floater" title still applies in a way, but rather than trying to invest a great deal of energy into too many friendships, I'm concentrating on the ones that are helping me live life to the fullest, who are challenging me to take advantage of every day that I have been given. I'm investing my heart and soul into fewer people, but those few are beautiful kindred spirits, who teach me something new every day. Those few shiny quarters are worth so much more than one hundred dull pennies.