Dreaming of my Victorian connections

I completed a lifelong dream this week: It was amazing. Everyone knows the big house on North State Street near the hospital that an older lady used to live in before it got sold a couple of years ago. 

It’s a beautiful old house. Three stories of brick and windows with a sizable lawn sloping down to meet the street. And I’ve always had the strongest urge to see the inside of that house. 

A couple of years ago, I don’t remember exactly when, my mother and I went on the garden walk in Waseca and if I remember correctly, that house was one of them. I distinctly remember walking up that driveway more focused on the house than the garden and yard we were supposed to be seeing. The expanse of the house itched at my mind and I wondered more than once what it looks like on the inside. 

Now I can say I have finally satisfied that curiosity. See, a gentleman called the paper’s office on Monday saying that he was receiving an award for historic preservation of this house and that someone told him to call the paper, which he then did. So that evening, I went down and watched him get the award, then followed the crowd to his house, which he had opened up for everyone to see. And let me tell you, it was breathtaking. 

This gentleman and his brother had spent around two years fixing and repairing the entire house. The building is pristine and beautiful in its Victorian aura. Walking through it, I felt like I needed to be wearing a Victorian dress and carrying a small book, complaining about how unfair the world is. 

I was practically giddy, a big smile plastered on my face. I don’t know why, but for me, walking through the history, seeing the beauty of the past and wondering what life could have been like back then was enthralling. 

People sometimes say they’re “old souls” or something like that. I’ve wondered if I’m one myself. But what does it take to be an old soul? A love for the past? Acting like an old person? Feeling slightly out of place in today’s world? Who knows. 

There are also quizzes that tell you what era you should live in. Am I a Victorian maiden? A medieval princess? A renaissance mage?  Truly I believe I could belong in any era, although I have to admit I enjoy the comforts and luxuries of the present day. But deep inside, there’s still me. The one who wants to wield a sword, wear long dresses, or watch jousts. I carry those folks with me and they come out with exuberant smiles and giddy delight when I come across something that suits them–for example, old Victorian style houses. It’s important to enjoy all the pieces of who I am. 

My Determination: “Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes right—all that falls to them is so much gain— all their geese are swans— all their cards are trumps— toss them which way you will, they will always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on so much the faster. The world may very likely not always think of them as they think of themselves, but what care they for the world? What can it know about the matter?” - Grimm Brothers.