I don't drive a Volkswagen. Nor do I plan on it. I'm a pick up man (Joe Diffie anyone?). I suppose if they made a cool truck though, I would. Anyways, the folks at Volks have a really cool commercial out right now that is right up my wheelhouse. It's a bunch of people of all ages laughing, and at the end it quotes "It's not the miles, it's how you live them." Pretty baller marketing if you ask me.
When I moved to Nashville 4 years ago I decided I needed cowboy boots. So naturally I went online and found a pair. Outsourcing is cheaper as our Mexican friends have taught us capitalists. But 4 years later my boots have this badass, rugged and scuffed look to them. I've resoled them once already and I'm going to keep on resoling them because the more scuffed they get, the more miles they travel, the more character they have. Who wouldn't want to be badass, rugged and scuffed?
Same with jeans. I have a pair that I'm fairly confident have more patches than they do original fabric. I hope you do to. Because everyone knows jeans aren't comfy until they are almost worn out. In fact, nowadays the young whippersnappers buy jeans that already have holes cut in them. They are manufactured like Paul Bunyan has been wearing them for a couple years. Now, some people have beef with that, but it actually makes sense. As much as we love new things, we also favor the used look on our clothing. But why?
Maybe because we've seen some celebrity or person in the public eye do it, and have come to the conclusion we need to look like that too. Related but side note, I just read that Justin Beiber takes bath salt before he picks out what he's going to wear for the day. Always remember kids...WWJBNW (What would Justin Beiber not wear).
Not to compare the elderly to old boots or jeans, but we humans are the same way. We're cooler when we have traveled some miles and are a little rough around the edges.
We as a society have determined that the experienced look is cool. A lot of people appreciate someone that looks well put together. I'm one of those people. But would you really want someone that is physically and socially perfect? Absolutely not. And lucky for us, no one is.
Truth of the matter is, no matter how high our standards are for people, it can't be perfect. And that's awesome. A lot of the people that I deem as important, it's their quirks that I appreciate the most. That's their personality. Their character. That's why a lot of the times when we miss someone, it's their odd mannerisms we think of first.
Some people call them flaws, but really it's just a scuff or a fray in our personality. And that gives us individuality. The more comfortable you get with your scuff's, the more your personality becomes something other people envy.
So don't worry about making sure that identity of yours seems pristine, everyone is going to be a little rough around the edges. And now a days that's cool. So embrace those little imperfections in yourself and other people. Life will come easier.
In conclusion, just like our clothing and buying a Volkwagen, how we live these miles we travel is what gives us that badass, rugged look. Which ultimately will make us one cool old person.
New in my life: Taking on new responsibilities is synonymous with taking on new debt. I need to return a pie pan. Faith is a tough, but beautiful thing. It's warmer out west this time of year. Salad dressing is delicious.
Keep smilin'
JM
