The Boy in the Thicket Hancock County, Georgia By Chad Patillo I’ve always been bad about rabbit holes. Not the kind where you forget what you were looking for. The real kind — where you find one small thing that doesn’t sit right with you and you keep pulling the thread until it either makes sense… or it owns a piece of you. Years ago, I was flipping through a stack of old Georgia newspapers — the kind that leave ink on your fingers and slow your breathing down — when I saw

PROFOUND REFLECTION ON MORTALITY & MASKED PAIN People ask me how I’m doing, and I give them the lines. "Two feet on this side of the dirt is better than six feet on the other.” “I’m on the right side of the dirt.” Someone says, “Good to see you,” and I fire back— “Better seen than viewed.” It sounds witty. It sounds strong. It sounds like a man who’s made peace with the fragile thread we all walk on. But the truth is… sometimes those words are nothing but patchwork over a wou

Every breath we take is borrowed from a silence that will one day reclaim it. That thought hit me hard the first time it crossed my mind. Life is fragile, fleeting, and deeply temporary. We walk around as if the clock will never run out, but the truth is we’re all living on borrowed time. Each inhale is a gift, each exhale a debt paid back. I’ve stood in rooms filled with the remnants of lives — estates where the laughter has gone quiet, where the voices that once filled the

Don't Run from the Rain: Embracing Life's Storms Years ago, my mother shared a piece of wisdom that has stuck with me like a comforting refrain: "Find a person who won't run from the rain." The deeper meaning behind that simple phrase is something I've come back to time and time again. In life, there really are two kinds of people: those who brace themselves and embrace whatever storm may come, and those who run and hide at the first sign of a downpour. I've tried to weave th

The Morning Sun Has Just Begun The morning sun has just begun, and I am still here to meet it. Not whole, not empty— Just present enough to stand in its light and let it find me where I am. I don’t ask it to fix anything. I don’t ask it to stay. I only ask that it touches what remains and reminds me I am not finished. There are days I wake carrying yesterday’s weight, the kind that settles into the bones and whispers that rest is surrender. But the light never agrees with tha

When Nightfall Comes When nightfall comes, I don’t fight it anymore. I let the edges soften, let the day loosen its grip on everything it asked of me. The light has done what it could. What remains is mine to carry— or finally set down. Night doesn’t demand explanations. It doesn’t ask me to be strong, or brave, or anything other than honest. It arrives without judgment and covers what couldn’t be fixed. There are thoughts that only speak after dark. Memories that wait until

The Psychology of Buying: Understanding Your Customers' Motivations Understanding why customers buy can make a significant difference in your success as an antique reseller. While price and quality are important, the emotional and psychological factors behind purchasing decisions play a crucial role. Let’s dive into the psychology of buying and explore how you can tap into your customers' motivations to enhance their experience and boost your sales. 1. The Desire for Nostalgi

Ok...So I have a story to tell. This happened last week, and I've debated on sharing it. Those that know me personally know that I have a rather dark and snarky sense of humor, and I like to say things just to get a reaction. That being said, let me tell you what happened. I'm in Jacksonville, working to set up the estate I've been posting about. I needed a few things like trash bags, spray bleach, rubber gloves, scrubby sponges, and tape—the essentials. To do what I do is a

This is for the younger members: don't be fooled by someone's age. Do you realize that people in their late 60s and early to mid-70s were the teenagers and young adults attending Woodstock? They were the generation that marched in protest against social injustice and inequality. They staged "sit-ins" to fight to have their views heard. They were the generation that watched the space race as it was happening, and they shaped the music industry with icons like the Beatles, Bob