Everybody wants to have an impact on the world, right? Well, even if you can’t see the impact you’re having, it’s still there.
Every time you pass your hand over a counter, press a button, or walk up some stairs, you’re affecting the world. It all adds up. Sometimes you just need the proper perspective for it to show up.
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It’s easy to see which part of this art arrangement folks loved the best.
It’s only natural that everybody wants to pet the doggie, right? The thousands and thousands of pets it must have received have put a nice shine on the pooch’s coat.
This pumpkin left out after Halloween didn’t melt and rot like you would expect it to.
Instead, nature has worked some wonders on it, turning it into a delicate, almost lace-like ghost of its former self.
Before there were fidget spinners, people would fidget with just about anything, including coins.
In fact, I’m sure they still do all the same. But here you can see how much human hands can wear down a dime with persistent fidgety fingers.
This has to be the most depressing sight to find in a classroom.
When you can see shadows of former students where they’ve rested against the walls, it has to be agonizing knowing you’re next. Also, not encouraging to know that the walls don’t get washed.
This restaurant is definitely getting its money’s worth from their knives.
A sharp knife is a safe knife! But repeated sharpening will take its toll — these will have to be replaced sooner than later.
Once, this must have been a nice, scenic last resting spot.
But the tree kept on growing, and eventually took the top of the grave marker along for a ride. It’s pretty much part of the tree now.
Longevity is definitely a desirable feature for road signs.
And this one has clearly survived some rough days, leaving the lettering in an accidentally more metal state.
Not sure if this was done on purpose or not, but when you leave bags of concrete outside, you can end up with giant stone pillows in your yard.
And they’re not going anywhere, so you have to hope they were left in a nice, landscape-friendly spot.
They don’t make ’em like they used to, judging by this road that was built by the Ancient Romans.
I guess the lack of a freeze-thaw cycle must help, but still, it’s in great shape for something that’s been there for a couple of millennia.
Marble is a great medium for artwork because of how easy it is to shape, and it turns out that chisels aren’t the only things that can shape it.
Just shoes, from folks ascending and descending, have worn these marble steps down over the years.
These twin teddies are a perfect example of something well-used, versus unused.
“When My Brother Was Born In 1985, My Mother Purchased Two Identical Teddy Bears. The One On The Left Has Been My Brother’s For 30 Years, The One On The Right Has Been Kept In Storage For My Brother’s First Child Who Was Born Today.”
The result of decades of coal in the city.
“Before And After Power-Washing. New York Used To Be A Much Dirtier City Back When The Northeast Ran On Coal Plants.”
This is probably 50 years worth of concert posters and job postings.
That looks SO hefty — it would be super neat to see whether any of the posters beneath the top layers have retained their artwork, and what events they were promoting.
These are the worn out marble steps inside the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Not only does the tower lean, but the steps sag. Fun fact!
“My Parents Moved A Rug For The First Time In Years.”
“This Is What 16 Years Of Sunlight Does To Your Hardwood Floors.”
Ahh, so that’s why my parents always told me to shut the curtains. Interesting.
This is decades of paint worn off to reveal all of the colors this door has been — plus the original wood grain.
“The Paint On This Chocolate Shop’s Door Is Worn Away Perfectly To Reveal All Of Its Previous Colours.”
This pillar on the corner of a busy street in Toronto has been severely worn down.
That’s what you get after years of passerby’s hands sliding along the corner.
“The spot where your knuckles hit when you are sharpening.”
I can feel this, and I don’t like it!
“Three generations of Chuck Taylors.”
I mean, you wear Chucks and Vans so that you can thrash them. This person is doin’ it right!
This is the floor inside a barber shop.
I can imagine the barber shuffling around a man, trying to get that perfect cut.
Here is someone’s aged screen protector.
Technically it’s still doing a good job… for the most part. I’d be sooooo tempted to peel that off.
It took a car smashing into this wall to expose the past on the side of this building.
Beneath the bricks, there was a vintage cigarette ad painted on the wall. I’m not sure if Winchester could even advertise like this anymore.
Here’s a good reminder to move your mouse pad around once in a while.
This one has been sitting in the same spot on a desk for a good decade and has become fused with the surface. Ew.
You don’t even have to live in a spot with a hot local music scene to get a build-up of posters like this.
But it would help. At the least, this represents a serious dedication to never tearing down someone else’s poster. Either way, there must be years worth of posters here.
On the left: a coffee cup that has been used regularly for three years. On the right: the same cup brand new.
And yes, the one on the left was washed after use. It’s just that coffee managed to stain it a bit each time and build up that deep mahogany-like finish.
On rare occasions, some things don’t change much over time.
For example, Sandy here has been providing rides for kids for just a penny since 1962, and the price hasn’t gone up and Sandy looks to be in fine shape.
Back in the 1640s, during the English Civil War, a cannon ball slammed into the side of this church
And the pock mark is still there almost 400 years later. That’s some good and sturdy rock!
In 1981, some trees were planted in a “1300” pattern in Bulgaria to celebrate the 1300 years that had passed since the nation’s founding.
And today they clearly stand out from the rest, showing what a cool and lasting idea it was.
Just think of all the transactions that must have passed through this convenience store’s protected counter.
Just think of all the candy and cash that must have changed hands to create a trail on the counter’s top. It won’t be easy to replace when the time comes, either.
You know this is a high quality pot.
It’s a surefire sign of craftsmanship when the country it was made in no longer exists, and hasn’t for more than 25 years.
It’s hard to believe a snail could ever grow to be so large.
Of course, this isn’t your typical garden snail, but still, this represents just one year of growth!
Whoever owned the house this was taken from must have had some slow drains or faucets.
That’s lime scale that has built up over a few decades, effectively shrinking the size of the pipe, greatly reducing the flow.
This, on the other hand, took far less time to build up.
This is what it looks like when a professional painter uses the same stir stick for just one year.
