“There’s a vintage which comes with age and experience.”
– Jon Bon Jovi
Buying an outfit from Nordstrom’s that makes you look like an 1800’s gold prospector means nothing. Buying a strangers T-shirt of some obscure 1970’s band means nothing. There is no history, no connection. It’s simply something you bought, a nicknack. It’s worth whatever the resale shop will buy it for.
When I travel, I use my dad’s old backpack. He bought it while in college and used it on his various travels around the world. The pack itself is nothing special, it’s plain grey and scuffed up. Yet where ever I go people always comment on it. It has history, anyone can see that. There’s an aura of heritage and tradition emitting from it. The backpack’s already seen two generations of adventure, I’d be disappointed if my descendents didn’t continue the tradition of passing it down.
Despite owning at least half a dozen different cool pairs of shoes, my favorite kicks are eight years old. They cost thirty five dollars when I bought them, now they’re priceless. I tore up the soles playing basketball, embedded rock into the heels when I climbed a volcano, stained the tops with blood after getting in a punch out, burnt the tongues with ash, and ripped up the side walls while running from the police. Those shoes are my childhood. Whenever I need to think, I still throw them on and go for a walk.
History isn’t something you can buy at Goodwill. It’s something that you have to earn. Next time you want to buy something “vintage” don’t. Instead, take something you already own and give it significance. Your future children will thank you.