This is to my fellow "old souls."

People call us old-fashioned. And they're right. We are old-fashioned. We like tradition. We feel connected to the past. Often, we even long for it.

We're often told, "It was before your time. You've probably never heard of it." But we have. Another phrase we often hear, "Aren't you a little young to like this sort of thing?" Well, maybe we are, but these are the things we love. We love the old things. There's a nostalgia, a history that belongs to them that new things can't give us.

We're the ones who watch the black and white movies in our spare time. We're the ones that, even after we've grown up, sit in awe and rapture, listening to our grandparents tell stories. We're the ones that listen to the music of past generations and don't pay too much attention to what's current. We're the ones who read old books, not just because they're classics.

We love antique shops and museums. We love hundred-year-old houses and old furniture. We like to look at the faded pictures in the oldest photo album our grandparents have. We have an affection for people we've never met, the people from the stories we've heard since we were a kid, the stories of the people that died before we could meet them. We love to hear people's stories, especially the stories about days gone by. The past fascinates us. It's like the smell of an old book. No matter how hard we try, we can't get enough of it.

There are a lot of times where we don't feel at home with people our own age, whatever age that may be because there's often nothing in common. It's not their fault and it's not ours. We're just different. And most of us like it that way. A lot of us take pride in our uniqueness. We don't feel pressured because most everyone else doesn't feel the way we do.

We feel like a bit of a contradiction. Somehow, we're too old and too young all at once. And we're a vanishing breed, the old souls. Although, I'm not sure how many of us there were to begin with. There don't seem to be a lot of us. And it can get a little lonely. It tends to be hard for us old souls to find each other.

But when we do, there's a magic there that can't be replicated by someone who doesn't understand why we love the things we do. There's a connection between people with an enthusiasm for things of the past. There's an immediate understanding of each other. It's special and there's nothing like it.

So to all you old souls out there, keep it up. Don't let anybody discourage you from watching that Cary Grant movie or listening to that album by the Andrew Sisters. Show your favorite things to your kids when you have them. Show them to your grandchildren too. I know, I plan to.