Cherish what you have

I remember a house inspection I did a while back. Before I started looking around, I asked the owner if any of the bathrooms had been renovated recently. He said no.

Then we got to the first one, and it looked almost brand new. When I mentioned that, he said:

“Oh no, this must’ve been redone at least… let me think… five years ago.”

Crazy! No matter how much money someone has, that kind of thing still blows my mind. It’s a waste, and completely unsustainable.

Unfortunately, even though that case was extreme, it’s not uncommon for people to renovate just for the sake of it. They want a slightly lighter shade of gray for the bathroom tiles, so they rip everything out (even if it’s newer and more expensive than what most of us could dream of affording). Same with kitchens. “I want the sink one foot more to the left.”

That’s why it’s such a joy to visit homes like the one I did today…

This happy old couple had a clothing centrifuge from the 1950s — still working. They also owned the first microwave oven ever sold in Sweden (it worked too, even though they didn’t use it). And they had this fantastic calendar they’d received as a gift many, many years ago.

Honestly, it was a pure joy walking around their home.

They had modern stuff too, of course. And one of them, though retired, was still doing some work in the AR & VR industry.

They were what I’d call “old modern people.” They appreciated things that were well-made, timeless, and built to last — beautiful in their own quiet way — while still taking full advantage of the convenience and possibilities of today’s technology.

All in a beautiful balance.