Appreciate Your Imperfect Possessions

I was tossing the towels into the dryer today and noticed that some of them are beginning to fray and one of them has some bite holes from when our dog was a curious little corgi. My first thought was, “I should get new towels.” My second thought was, “Why?”

Growing up, I recall having the same towels throughout my entire life. They didn’t match a specific color scheme. They didn’t follow any trends. They simply made wet people dry. That’s what towels are supposed to do. And they did it well for 20 years.

My inbox is filled with emails telling me to, “Hurry, This Won’t Last Long!”  “You. Need. This.” or “Fall’s Hottest Trend.”

And it’s all just stuff.

I purchased my second car in 1997. A brand new Acura Integra. It was an extraordinary car and I drove it for 17 years. Throughout my years of ownership, I would take it in for regular maintenance. When I hit 100,000, the dealer told me, “Congratulations, you hit the halfway mark!” And he was right. It made it to 207,000 miles and when I drove it to the dealership to trade it in, it started for the last time.

When I traveled for work, people told me that I “had” to get a new car since my car was a two-door and couldn’t fit many people in it. It worked just fine.

When I moved further north, people told me that I “had” to get a new car because an SUV was essential. It worked just fine.

When I hit 100,000 miles, people told me that I “had” to get a new car because mine was dangerous and old. It worked just fine.

When I had you, people told me that I “had” to get a new car, because a two door wouldn’t work with a baby. It worked just fine.

Your dad gave me a pair of earrings on our wedding day 9 years ago. They are the only earrings that I’ve worn since. How could there possibly be a better pair out there than the pair I received on our first day of marriage?

Our society has become disposable. We are supposed to change our pants every season from skinny jeans to bootleg to flares. You have granite countertops? Useless. You should have quartz.

Change all of your pillows, candles and throw blankets for Christmas. Rip the flowers out of the garden and plant new ones. Get a new car because yours doesn’t have bluetooth. And please, please, please throw away those old towels.

Or…be thankful for the wonderful things that you have been blessed with…like your washing machine…that will make all of your old towel nice and clean, although not perfect.

[extra advice | beach towels make GREAT bath towels]