As if I needed another reminder during my birthday month that once again I’m getting a year older, a dear reader named Jane reminded me about quality shoes.
She’s reminded me about other things, too, like how funny single-ply toilet paper can be when you find someone else who buys it by mistake and it lasts longer than, well, maybe those quality shoes.
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In a short string of emails, we somehow got on the topic of how things tend to come back into style after being passé for a bit. She told me a story of a recent time in a grocery store that a much younger person commented she liked Jane’s sandals and like a good person, Jane smiled and said thank you.
Inside Jane was thinking, “These shoes are older that that person!” And upon hearing that part of the story, I smiled, too.
I went through a phase in my high school years that involved spending a lot of money I didn’t really have on sandals I often wore with thick, wool socks. The sandals, although a bit worn and stretched from those socks, are still in great shape and I still put them on from time to time.
In years past I’ve taken a lot of eye rolls from our kids about them and comments such as “I can’t believe you actually wore those in public!” and “Why in the world did you ever keep those things?”
Fast forward to now, and just like Jane said, they are back in style. Maybe I was just 28 years ahead of schedule, wearing those shoes that are older than a lot of people I know. Or maybe we all should hang on to the fads of the day because perhaps 28 years later we can save some money by not having to buy new ones?
All of this stuff prompted me to look around my home at the things I have that aren’t new but still going strong.
A dresser from my great-grandmother in the foyer. A kitchen table from my parents. A plant from my husband’s grandmother. A teacart from my grandparents. A guitar from my dad and a million things from my mom, each of them lasting long after their prime, but still going strong.
Quality, it seems, can often lead to quantity of time if things like furniture and shoes are well taken care of and well loved.
Jane, I think would agree with me, if I said this holds true for sandals, but maybe not for toilet paper.
