Wearing things out
It's so interesting to observe that in our society many things look new. Growing up, I noticed that things were often thrown out or donated when a very tiny imperfection showed up, when something was "out of fashion", or when the owner felt like they simply wanted something different. People seemed so ready to sell their precious, in fact priceless, time to replace things quickly, to satisfy their cravings which never stopped manifesting.
I wish I could spend more time with my family when I was a child. But consumption seemed more important to my family of origin, as both my mother and my stepfather worked most of my childhood. They didn't do it to make ends meet, but rather to sustain a certain level of consumption. I was also prepared for a life of consumption with an enormous pressure to do well at school and extracurricular activities. I would approach parenting very differently.
The sandals in the picture above are only 1.5 years old. They are one of the two pairs of shoes that I live with (the third pair is worn out and I wear those shoes only indoors). The other ones are around 3 years old. I wear these sandals almost every day. In winter, I wore them with thick woollen socks. In warmer seasons, I would walk 10-13 km per day in them very often. In places, the soles and the insoles are worn out and cracked. I still wear these shoes, but I will replace them soon-ish because they are becoming unsafe to walk in when I walk downstairs from the 5th floor where our home is located. They catch on the edges of the stairs.
I hope that wearing old and worn out things becomes normalised someday.
Earlier on my minimalist journey, I donated many items of clothing to various charities. These days, I donate mainly those items that are given to me as (unwanted) gifts. I try to wear things out.