It’s All Patina

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What is patina?

What do these jeans and these old boots have to do with mental health? Well I’ll tell you. I recently got into the world of “proper denim” and I stumbled on this word patina which is part of the aging process in things like denim and leather. The patina is what makes an item unique to its owner.

So this is a super old pair of Levi’s that I’ve had for years. All the fades on them tell a bit of a story. You can see where I bend my knee or where my phone or my wallet has been over the years. It’s what makes this pair of jeans unique to me – because even though thousands of pairs of these exact jeans would have been made, no other pair in the world has the exact same patina as these ones. And the patina comes from the experiences that I’ve had whilst I’m wearing this pair of jeans.

It’s the same with these boots as well. They started off a much lighter in colour, but then over the years they’ve kind of darkened a bit, they’ve picked up a few scuffs on them – which ultimately just adds character and tells a story about the places that I’ve been whilst wearing these boots. In fact in some of the proper denim communities these signs of ageing – this patina – is actually kind of revered and really sought after.

So patina can be great but we need to pair it with taking care of the items too. Whether that’s with my trusty boot cleaning kit or being really careful about how you clean your denim. (I actually have this denim cleaning spray so you don’t have to wash it and ruin all the fades as well..🤓)

Continually taking care of them helps to extend their lifetime and keep them working the way that they were designed to work for years to come.

So where am I going with all this?

Ultimately, our bodies are kind of going through the same process. We might often see things like wrinkles or stretch marks or grey hairs as bad things; negative things that we hang on to about ourselves. But really they’re all patina. Your body is such an amazing and unique vessel that’s going on a journey. It tells a story about all the adventures that you’ve had.

So, wrinkles come from smiling and laughing. They’re like a sign of all the good times that you’ve had! Stretch marks actually show how your body continues to change and grow over time. It’s not a finished product; it’s a constant work in progress. And grey hairs (and let me tell you I have got a few grey hairs coming along..👴🏼) they’re a natural part of our aging process that signifies that you’ve lived through so much and you are still going.

Your body is unique to you and all your patina – whatever it is is – are just as unique to you and should actually be just as sought after as the patina and the fades in small pair of jeans.

But we also need to remember to pair this with taking care of yourself too. You don’t need some fancy boot cleaning kit or some denim spray to look after yourself. But you can do things like drinking enough water getting enough rest and actually saying kind things about yourself! And doing these sorts of things regularly – the same way as I’ll regularly take care of these old boots – it’s going to extend your lifetime. And it’s also going to help your body do the stuff that it was built to do for years to come.

So the next time that you look in a mirror and you see some sort of sign of what you’ve been through just remember: it’s all patina and you are way more valuable and important than some old pair of jeans or boots. You are amazing.

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