It’s nice to get new things, isn’t it? Whatever it might be–a new car, a new lawnmower, phone or computer. Maybe a new pair of shoes, a tool for your shop, even a new toothbrush. Some things are just better new. But some things get better with age.
Some things improve over time don’t they?
They get better with age. Through aging and mellowing, or with regular use, some things get better. They develop better taste, patina, and value over time.
Examples: cheese, whiskey and wine, antiques, blue jeans, a favorite jacket, art, cast iron pans, investments, leather (depends on how its treated), things made of wood, aged beef, coins, books, a favorite coffee cup, old vinyl records, favorite photos, and old letters. Sometimes the longer we keep such things the more valuable they become.
Often, things have to pass through a phase where the impulse is just to throw them away because they’re “old.” We see this with old buildings. Once they have fulfilled their original purpose and start to need more care, it is easy to just want to tear them down and replace them with a newer building. The Pittock Mansion in Portland is an example, built between 1911 and 1914. It is an imposing stone structure, and a treasured Portland landmark. But it hasn’t always been treasured. By the late 1950s it had fallen into disrepair, and there were proposals to tear it down. Portland area residents who could see beyond the state of disrepair to its possibilities banded together to purchase the mansion and restore it. Now thousands of visitors every year thrill to this architectural masterpiece.
But for something to get better with age…
someone needed a vision for its value beyond just being an old building. Someone needed to see that its value was inherent in its age and unique identity.
I have on a shelf in my office a number of personal artifacts that I’ve saved or recovered over the years. One is a small thermos from my third grade lunchbox from about 1965. It is a “Daniel Boone” theme, after the TV show that was popular at the time.
I found this a while back when we were cleaning out stuff from my mom’s garage. I was surprised that it had survived all these years, when early on, once I was done with it, we may have thrown it out or taken it to the thrift store. It would have been seen as junk, something that had served its purpose.
Now, because it has gotten better with age, I see it as a piece of Americana, and a connection to my childhood. It may have some value as a collectible (people do collect old lunch pails). But the value to me is just the way it connects me to some part of my past.
That’s the way it is with most antiques. They have to survive the initial impulse to throw them away. Many such items do not survive, which is part of what makes the ones that do survive more desirable. We recognize their increasing value with the passage of time.
Some other things that aren’t “things” also may get better with age: memories, confidence, relationships (like leather, depends on how they’re treated), faith, wisdom, judgement, and perspective.
Obviously, some of these things benefit from time more than others. No matter how old they are, things like art and antiquities may continue to gain in value. Other things, like certain foods, memories, confidence, etc., may begin to erode after a certain point in life. But they may increase in value and enjoyment for far longer than we think.
But you get the idea…
Time improves many things. Sure, they’re no longer shiny and new, but that doesn’t seem to matter. They gain beauty and value in other ways. Sometimes the rust, or the wear and tear is part of the beauty.
Sometimes our culture treats youth as having the primary value, and gaining in age as a negative. Well, not just sometimes, but often.
People joke about age, decorate with black balloons when you turn 30, 40 or 50 (they don’t do that at 60 or more, ‘cause that’s just mean). Friends talk about being “over the hill,” complain about aches and pains, and things that don’t work or that they can’t do.
But what if we focus on the benefits of age and the passing of time? On the parts of our lives that get better? What if there are things we can do to make them better, to take ownership of our lives and our style as we increase in years?
Can life get better in your 40s or 50s, than it was in your teens and 20s?
Many people, unfortunately, feel like they have already lived their best years, that their best life is behind them.
Call to action–get better with age
What areas of your own life are better with the passing of time? What could you improve with some intentionality? Think about the experiences you’ve had, the lessons you’ve learned (some of them hard-earned), the places you’ve been, the people you’ve known, the skills you’ve developed. All of these things take time, and reflect in the person you have become in this season of your life. Without those things you would not be who you are. You’ve improved with age–don’t hesitate to let those qualities show, and to bring benefit and blessing to the lives of those around you.
