Vintage Find: Early Japan Wooden Horsecart

Our middle child picked out this little early wooden horsecart at the Lake Geneva Antique Mall on a trip up there.  I'm not sure exactly how it went down, but I think Nat told the girls that they could pick out something small - a 'treasure' - to reward their patience while we wandered around the place.   Now that they're not in strollers, it is a lot harder to wrangle them at places like antique malls where they don't go crazy.

The Bird picked this little wooden horse and cart.  The tag says "Early Japan" and the bottom is stamped directly on the piece, no sticker:

Kind of a sweet little treasure, isn't it?  It is super brittle, so I know it won't last long. But, one of the horse legs was busted off already, so it wasn't perfect in the first place.

Just like my Dad did to me, we're (I think) doing to our girls:  encouraging them to love old things.

The trick, however, is something that I'm not quite *there* with that Joe Rhode once wrote on a photo he posted on Instagram when asked in a comment if he purchased something he posted.  He replied:

It is enough to enjoy the existence of things without possessing all of them.

For someone who likes 'treasures', this is a big and important statement.  Something I need to keep reminding myself of each time I come across a vintage Santa.  Just enjoy the existence of something.  That's a healthy mindset.