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American author Nathaniel Hawthorne once said: "Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind." Let's explore that tail, shall we? It's not an easy task, but Bored Panda put together a list of photos that capture this elusive silhouette quite well.

From a meatball that has spent decades in epoxy to 1,800-year-old Roman leather sandals, the things you're going to see below have all faced the biggest battle in the universe — the passage of time — but took different wounds. Continue scrolling to compare them and if you want more of the same, fire up our similar publications here, here, and here.

#1

The Wear And Scuff-Marks On This Boat Look Like An Island In The Sea

The Wear And Scuff-Marks On This Boat Look Like An Island In The Sea

supremo92 Report

#2

Shout Out To Lodge For Replacing My 14 Year Old Dutch Oven Because The Enamel Chipped. No Hassles, Just A Free Replacement In The Mail One Week After Contacting Them

Shout Out To Lodge For Replacing My 14 Year Old Dutch Oven Because The Enamel Chipped. No Hassles, Just A Free Replacement In The Mail One Week After Contacting Them

johnnybluejeans Report

#3

My Grandmother Has Kept Her Elementary School Lunch Box In Nearly Pristine Condition For Over 70 Years

My Grandmother Has Kept Her Elementary School Lunch Box In Nearly Pristine Condition For Over 70 Years

HIGHly_intALEXual Report

#4

I Inherited My Grandma's Sewing Supplies And As I Was Putting Them Away Realized I Bought The Exact Same Buttons That She Did Over 35 Years Ago For Me

I Inherited My Grandma's Sewing Supplies And As I Was Putting Them Away Realized I Bought The Exact Same Buttons That She Did Over 35 Years Ago For Me

Glitter_Plague Report

#5

The Knife At The Left Was Used By A Butcher For 5 Years Straight. The One At The Right Is The Exact Same Knife, But Brand New

The Knife At The Left Was Used By A Butcher For 5 Years Straight. The One At The Right Is The Exact Same Knife, But Brand New

MBMV Report

#6

This Jack O Lantern With Mold Growing From Inside

This Jack O Lantern With Mold Growing From Inside

SnapDragon0420 Report

#7

Brickwork By The Sea

Brickwork By The Sea

Keycuk Report

#8

My Work ID Has Been In Its Plastic Holder For So Long That It’s Imprinted This Ghostly Image Of My Face

My Work ID Has Been In Its Plastic Holder For So Long That It’s Imprinted This Ghostly Image Of My Face

cannibalism_is_vegan Report

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#9

My Neighbors Have An Old Chair With Plants Growing Over It

My Neighbors Have An Old Chair With Plants Growing Over It

JoeDragotta Report

#10

I Found This Leaf With Only It's 'Veins' Remaining

I Found This Leaf With Only It's 'Veins' Remaining

spechlfriedrice Report

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#11

The One And Only Basketball That Lives At The Local Park And Somehow Still Bounces

The One And Only Basketball That Lives At The Local Park And Somehow Still Bounces

sangallium Report

#12

My Parents Got This Spray Bottle Of Windex In 1979 And Have Been Reusing It Ever Since

My Parents Got This Spray Bottle Of Windex In 1979 And Have Been Reusing It Ever Since

pandasweatshirt Report

#13

160 Years Of Foot Traffic Over The Step Into My Local Pub

160 Years Of Foot Traffic Over The Step Into My Local Pub

Dyslexicelectric Report

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Caro Caro
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do you Pandas notice that going inside has more wear than the other side (left), as if leaving the pub is impossible or the booze makes you misstep HAAAHAHA.

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#14

This Tree Eating A Postbox

This Tree Eating A Postbox

nirkbirk Report

#15

This Brick Wall Got Smoothed Into A Rock

This Brick Wall Got Smoothed Into A Rock

schmart Report

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Beth L
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those other "rocks" sure look like concrete to me...

ethanburin avatar
Ethan Burin
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The universe's 3d modeling department forgot to change the texture

sawdust99 avatar
Sawdust
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I guess in water the mortar wears as fast as the brick.

lucillejohnstone-engle avatar
Bean
Community Member
2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How big is that? My mind is having a hard time wrapping itself around the proportions

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Celtic Pirate Queen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I found one similar on Alki (West Seattle, WA USA), but I was with my 3 y/o granddaughter, so I let her keep it. She's 16 now & it sits on her desk.

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Yort
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I guess the water was cold and that’s why it shrunk significantly as well.

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#16

A Seesaw (Teeter-Totter) In My Local Playground Where Thousands Of Little Feet Have Worn Through The Asphalt

A Seesaw (Teeter-Totter) In My Local Playground Where Thousands Of Little Feet Have Worn Through The Asphalt

swannykk Report

#17

I Went Into The Office For The First Time Since March 2020 And Found The Kiwi I Left In My Desk

I Went Into The Office For The First Time Since March 2020 And Found The Kiwi I Left In My Desk

theskinwearein Report

#18

You Can Tell Where People Tend To Line Up At This Brooklyn Hardware Store By Where The Linoleum Tile Has Been Worn Away To Reveal The Original Ceramic

You Can Tell Where People Tend To Line Up At This Brooklyn Hardware Store By Where The Linoleum Tile Has Been Worn Away To Reveal The Original Ceramic

RebbeofBK Report

#19

Old Gold/Copper Crayola Crayons That Turned Green From Oxidation

Old Gold/Copper Crayola Crayons That Turned Green From Oxidation

HapEGoLucky Report

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Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I guess people don't think that there was actual bronze powder in the crayons. It's going to only be surface level too.

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#20

I Accidentally Left My Iron Man Canvas Out In The Rain And Inadvertently Improved The Original Design

I Accidentally Left My Iron Man Canvas Out In The Rain And Inadvertently Improved The Original Design

blakemon1 Report

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#22

Water Levels At Lake Powell Are So Low You Can Find Old Wrecks Out Of The Water

Water Levels At Lake Powell Are So Low You Can Find Old Wrecks Out Of The Water

mowikn Report

#23

Just Found An Old Roll Of Biodegradable Poop Bags, They Really Do Disintegrate Like Advertised

Just Found An Old Roll Of Biodegradable Poop Bags, They Really Do Disintegrate Like Advertised

terencebogards Report

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Robert T
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tesco carrier bags do the same thing - as I found out after storing something in one for several years.

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#24

Great Grandmother's Potato Peeling Knife Still Used By My Grandmother In Her Late 80’s. She Says Her Mother Used It When She Was A Child

Great Grandmother's Potato Peeling Knife Still Used By My Grandmother In Her Late 80’s. She Says Her Mother Used It When She Was A Child

FlabbyMilk Report

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ThoughtsAreNotFacts
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Keep it forever! My grandma gave me an old lamp that has been used in our family for over 90 yrs. Doesn't match any decor and the plug is weird but I'm keeping it forever!

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#26

Bathrooms At My Engineering University

Bathrooms At My Engineering University

dustinburt Report

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Andrew
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My first reaction was men are taller so naturally push on the door higher than the positioned "plate". Then I re read the title and sadly realised that females are still grossly under represented in most engineering departments.

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#27

My Nana Has Been Using The Same Deck Of Cards For 10 Years And They’ve All Grooved To Her Hand Placement During Shuffling

My Nana Has Been Using The Same Deck Of Cards For 10 Years And They’ve All Grooved To Her Hand Placement During Shuffling

RemarkableDifficulty Report

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Alan Green
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Does she always win? She's probably memorised every little blemish on the back of each card.

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#28

100-Year-Old Logging Truck, Abandoned And Overgrown By The Trees It Once Helped Cut Down (Lynn Valley, British Columbia, Canada)

100-Year-Old Logging Truck, Abandoned And Overgrown By The Trees It Once Helped Cut Down (Lynn Valley, British Columbia, Canada)

laowarriah Report

#29

1,800-Year-Old Roman Leather Sandals On Display At Vindolanda Fort In Northumberland, England

1,800-Year-Old Roman Leather Sandals On Display At Vindolanda Fort In Northumberland, England

Stotallytob3r Report

#30

This Sun-Worn Sign Outside My Office That Looks Like It Belongs In A Horror Film

This Sun-Worn Sign Outside My Office That Looks Like It Belongs In A Horror Film

Prairie17 Report

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#31

Found Some Change That Had Been In The Brushes In The Clothes Dryer

Found Some Change That Had Been In The Brushes In The Clothes Dryer

mooseaura Report

#32

A Tree Trunk With A Silver Kennedy 1/2 Dollar Coin

A Tree Trunk With A Silver Kennedy 1/2 Dollar Coin

AirPotato Report

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Diddlybop
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fun fact: you know those trees which have a million coins in? Well they are wishing coin trees, and people used to and still do hammer coins in to it with stones for a wish. There's a massive one near where I live with hundreds of coins in.

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#34

Faded Sign From The "War On Drugs" Era

Faded Sign From The "War On Drugs" Era

FF7_Expert Report

#36

60-Year-Old Unopened Pepsi Bottle

60-Year-Old Unopened Pepsi Bottle

NoodleSoupShark5 Report

#37

Years Of A Lock Grinding On A Brick

Years Of A Lock Grinding On A Brick

posty_co Report

#38

Exact Center Seat, 3rd Row From The Back Of The Theater Gets A Lot Of Use

Exact Center Seat, 3rd Row From The Back Of The Theater Gets A Lot Of Use

toddhenderson Report

#39

Progression Of A Broom At A Machine Shop

Progression Of A Broom At A Machine Shop

heavens0devil Report

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Mazer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love corn brooms, they work so much better than plastic ones

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#40

This Is The Same Doll, One After 32 Years Of Love, The Other Still Pristine

This Is The Same Doll, One After 32 Years Of Love, The Other Still Pristine

shanbamf Report

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#41

This Guy Dancing At The Same Place For Weeks

This Guy Dancing At The Same Place For Weeks

Gymbrain Report

#42

Nature Swallows A Car In Hawaii

Nature Swallows A Car In Hawaii

fish_and_crips Report

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Otter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Once I was visiting a mountain town, and the person who was showing me around pointed to someone's place, that was overgrown with blackberry thickets. "There's four or five cars under there", she said.

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#43

A 39-Year-Old Fan Which Turns 40 Tomorrow

A 39-Year-Old Fan Which Turns 40 Tomorrow

MooseWithAntlers Report

#45

This Pumpkin Got Tossed In The Chicken Run Last November But Other Animals Ate The Insides, Leaving A Fairly Intact Shell

This Pumpkin Got Tossed In The Chicken Run Last November But Other Animals Ate The Insides, Leaving A Fairly Intact Shell

Beelzabubba Report

#46

Wear Marks In The Floor Of A Repurposed Levi’s Denim Factory. Someone Spent Their Whole Life Working And Standing In This Spot. Lamy’s Building, Sedalia, MO

Wear Marks In The Floor Of A Repurposed Levi’s Denim Factory. Someone Spent Their Whole Life Working And Standing In This Spot. Lamy’s Building, Sedalia, MO

rukeduke Report

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That person was dead long before they died. Imagine heaving to spend every day of your working life being confined to a few square feet, probably doing the same mind numbing work day in and day out.

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#47

My Teal Post-Its Turned Green While I Was Out Of The Office For 15 Months

My Teal Post-Its Turned Green While I Was Out Of The Office For 15 Months

isntthatcorny Report

#48

Basketball I Got 5 Years Ago vs. Basketball I Got Today

Basketball I Got 5 Years Ago vs. Basketball I Got Today

Global-Elite-Spartan Report

#50

This Whiteboard Eraser Has Definitely Seen More Than Its Fair Share Of Use

This Whiteboard Eraser Has Definitely Seen More Than Its Fair Share Of Use

iammandalore Report

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Melissa J
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like how it has the shape if the hands from repeated use.

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Note: this post originally had 113 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

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