Created by Mike Donghia. Subscribe to our blog for free daily updates.
I’m a sucker for all things nostalgic. I was an odd child who liked hanging out with my grandparents and listening to their stories about the world they grew up in.
They lived in a small, cozy home with simple but sturdy items—all of which had a look of being well-used and loved.
My own childhood was full of happy memories—combined with these impressions—and formed a mental image in my head of what a home should look and feel like.
It’s not just the aesthetic of nostalgia that I like, it’s the time-tested values and lessons that these old ideas contain. I’m a big believer that while some things have changed since the mid-20th century, there’s much that hasn’t.
When you’re in the market for new traditions or ways of doing things, it makes a lot of sense to “shop” among what’s worked for others.
As a writer who blogs about what works for me and my family in our journey towards a meaningful, intentional life, I thought it might be fun and useful to share some old-fashioned ideas, in the context of particular items, that still help me today.
Perhaps they’ll help you as well, or maybe just inspire you to see what “old” ideas you can rekindle.
My fountain pen
I’ve always had a fascination with fountain pens and just a general love of writing by hand. I remember as a teenager pouring over thick catalogs of pens and trying to decide which one I liked best. Of course, I couldn’t afford them back then, but in my mind, they represented timeless beauty. In recent years, I’ve taken up the hobby of writing with a pen and paper again, and I encourage you to give it a try as well. I find that the slower pace of writing by hand forces my mind to focus, and somehow clears my thinking better than the equivalent would on my laptop. Plus, using a fountain pen just feels so much more special.
Our folding clothes dryer
My wife and I try to keep our impact on the environment low, while incorporating simplicity into our lives through what we own. One easy way to do this is by using a simple, wooden folding clothes dryer instead of the electric dryer in our home. We do about half our drying by air, especially on warmer days where the clothes will dry faster. The whole process is easy and effortless, and doesn’t feel like any kind of sacrifice.
Our paper calendar
We’ve tried to transition multiple times to a shared digital calendar on our smartphones, but have always found the paper calendar to be more intuitive. The digital experience is especially troublesome because we don’t use it for the multiple check-ins and micro-planning that are a part of our day. The paper calendar we have is on our fridge and it’s on display for anyone in the house to see. There are no screens to turn on, no buttons to push, no navigating to a date. It’s a beautiful example of what I’ve written about before—how to declutter the digital aspects of your life.
My cast iron skillet
When I was growing up, my mom cooked nearly everything in a large, well-seasoned cast iron skillet. The smell of onions and garlic sizzling in the pan are forever etched in my memory as well as the feel of the hefty, warm pan in my hands. An old rule in our family was that if your mom cooked dinner, one of us had to do the dishes, and this often meant scrubbing down the cast iron until it shone again. For many years I turned to nonstick cookware for its convenience, but I’ve once again picked up the old ways and never felt better about it. Modern nonstick pans are known to contain potentially harmful chemicals, most of which I’d rather avoid. The best part is that a well-taken care of cast iron is the original nonstick pan, and works just as well.
My box of index cards
A tip I read somewhere in my 20’s was to always keep a small stack of blank index cards in your pocket or bag. This intuitive piece of advice has stuck with me for years, and I’ve probably gone through thousands of cards at this point. I use them anytime I want to quickly jot something down such as a to do item that suddenly popped to mind or quick idea I don’t want to forget. I also use them for certain note-taking applications where I want the ability to physically reorganize the notes, or for writing down bible verses that I want to memorize. I really can’t imagine my life without these handy little companions.
My hardcover notebooks
While nearly all of my writing ends up being done on my laptop, I never gave up the idea of keeping a physical journal. Not only have I found a great deal of value in putting pen to paper in the moment, but it feels so much more substantial to me to have years worth of writing stored in physical books. I guess part of me enjoys the idea of keeping an old tradition alive, and another part of me wants to be able to pass these books down to my kids someday. Part of the appeal is the aesthetics of the book, and how that enhances my enjoyment. If you ever catch me at a bookstore, you can be sure I’ll make my way to the stationary section at some point and peruse the beautiful notebooks for sale.
My flossing picks
Perhaps there was a time when people didn’t floss, or when the first person did start, they just used their hands and a piece of string. But in my mind when I think of flossing, I think of the little plastic flossers you can buy in bulk. Surely, they have been around for ages! One of the simplest health habits that I have adopted in my life is to floss my teeth daily. I was a late adopter of this and now I tell everyone I know, including my children, to floss. The daily habit keeps your mouth feeling fresh, your teeth and gums healthy, and it’s a small investment you can make in yourself that has nearly guaranteed positive results.
Final Thoughts
Not everything in life needs to change with the times. In fact, the older I get, the more I realize how many great ideas of the past are being forgotten or lost to history.
So much of our dominant culture today is obsessed with the new and the novel, but there is a certain pleasure that can only be found in old things.
My advice to you is to find your own piece of nostalgia and let it fuel the passions that make your life worth living.
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