What My Mentor's Decade-Old Shoes Taught Me

Today, I got my pair of shoes back from a repair shop after waiting for a month.

To my surprise, it felt even better than getting a brand new pair (at much less cost too). This pair had grown on me during the past few years, and I learned that they don't sell the exact same model anymore.

It was the first time in my life I had requested a shoe-repair. The act of getting one repaired had never even crossed my mind. Before this, my default thinking was: if my wife pointed it out, I'd just go get a new pair.

It was during one of my casual catch-ups with my mentor that he mentioned the pair he was wearing — which was in great shape, by the way — was over a decade old. Not only that one, but he had several other pairs he had been wearing for over a decade.

Then I looked down at mine, which were already looking quite grubby after slightly over 2 years. Of course, a lot of it was how he was maintaining them with care (which is worth a dedicated post later on), but he also shared that he gets his shoes repaired regularly.

So that weekend I visited a nearby shoe-repair shop (there were several within walking distance), and the pair came back in great shape after a month.

I feel there is a certain beauty in being able to take good care of one's belongings over an extended amount of time. Looking forward to walking around with this pair for hopefully another decade.