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You don’t need to be a quantum physicist to know that the passage of time is inevitable. As a result, those fine lines on your cheeks are getting more prominent and your doggo is taking way longer to catch the jumpy ball. We change, but so does our environment, and there’s not much we can do about it.

Bored Panda has compiled a list full of worn-down things, objects, and places that have been altered beyond return by time. From weary teddy bears and aging shift knobs to peeling signs and rusty chains, these are some of the most amusing examples people have stumbled upon.

Because even if we can’t stop the clocks, we can at least pause to sit back and see the beauty in the passage of time. After you're done with this list, be sure to check our part 1 and part 2 of worn-out things that all have their tales to tell.

#1

The Way My Dog's Spots Faded Over 10 Years

The Way My Dog's Spots Faded Over 10 Years

short-_-cakes Report

#3

This Dog’s Favorite Spot

This Dog’s Favorite Spot

iPierre Report

Time is one hell of a tricky business. Some days, it passes like a rocket; other times, it feels like someone put the world on hold. In order to find out more about our ever-changing perception of time and the games it plays with our mind, Bored Panda reached out to Nancy Darling, a professor and chair at the Department of Psychology at Oberlin College and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Adolescence.

Nancy explained that people tend to judge the passage of time as a function of how many things happen. “I find it interesting that when my days are packed, I feel time passes both very fast and very slow.”

She gave an example: “During a busy week, events a week ago seem in the far, distant past because so many things have intervened since.” Simultaneously, we feel like time is flying by because so many things are happening every hour. Not only is our perception of time purely subjective, it’s also somehow both slow and fast at the same time.

#4

The Way That The Statue Has Been Worn By People Stroking The Dog On The Charles Bridge

The Way That The Statue Has Been Worn By People Stroking The Dog On The Charles Bridge

mymumwontbehappy Report

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#6

This Rug Is So Well Worn It's Almost Invisible

This Rug Is So Well Worn It's Almost Invisible

Svengelska1990 Report

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Misterscooter
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Talk about blending in. I wonder if they cold even lift it off in one piece anymore.

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The professor also said that as we get older, the way we perceive time tends to change. It has to do with the usual things, “like cooking a meal or grocery shopping, that start taking longer for you to do.”

Most importantly, “the passage of time just marks age and accomplishment,” according to Nancy. “I just got an email this morning reminding me I’d promised to do something in July. That seems both forever ago (I’ve done a thousand things since) and very close (every day, I keep saying I’ll do it ’tomorrow.’)”

Interestingly, we can do that with life as well. Just think of your kids being tiny and dependent, urges the professor. “How can my son be living in Manhattan and getting ready to teach in the public schools? Time flies,” she said. At the same time, Nancy said that she feels like “there are many things I’d always planned to do, but haven’t gotten to (yet).” And she added: “I am too old now?”

#7

Stone On This Italian Castle Being Completely Worn Down By 700 Years Of Rainfall Dripping Off The Roof Onto The Exact Same Spot

Stone On This Italian Castle Being Completely Worn Down By 700 Years Of Rainfall Dripping Off The Roof Onto The Exact Same Spot

VersaceRabbit Report

#8

I Was In Ireland Two Years Ago And Found This Piece Of A Brick Wall That Had Been Shaped By The Surf

I Was In Ireland Two Years Ago And Found This Piece Of A Brick Wall That Had Been Shaped By The Surf

TheDancingFool Report

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#9

After A Hard Rain, A Pothole Opened Up In Front Of My House Revealing The Original Brick And A Train Track

After A Hard Rain, A Pothole Opened Up In Front Of My House Revealing The Original Brick And A Train Track

Whinke Report

At this point, it’s very important to realize that revising and looking back at our dreams and plans are crucial in keeping time on our side. “If you regularly review what your priorities are and focus on those, you feel like a lot has gotten done and you don’t regret the fact that you’ve wasted your days,” suggests the professor.

It’s all because we need to create a sense of accomplishment, whether big or small, that creates invisible gaps in time. “Days when I accomplish a lot are full and satisfying, but also feel long. A productive week feels like it’s lasted forever. It also feels good,” Nancy concluded. And if time starts feeling longer, it kinda goes slower. Isn’t this exactly the way to stop the clock?

Read more about Nancy Darling’s advice on keeping regular schedules and reviewing your goals in order to make it easier to mark the passage of time in her articles for Psychology Today here and here.

#10

This Chain Is So Old And Rusted It Looks Like Wood

This Chain Is So Old And Rusted It Looks Like Wood

MigatteNoG0kui Report

#11

My Dog Runs Around My Pool In The Exact Same Track So Much That There’s A Ring Of Dirt In The Grass

My Dog Runs Around My Pool In The Exact Same Track So Much That There’s A Ring Of Dirt In The Grass

Amahoney77 Report

#12

This Tire Reads "Replace Tire" When It Gets Worn Down

This Tire Reads "Replace Tire" When It Gets Worn Down

lxgo Report

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#13

Local Pho Shop Smooths Edges Of Chipped Bowls And Keeps Using Them

Local Pho Shop Smooths Edges Of Chipped Bowls And Keeps Using Them

jlespins Report

#14

The Vibration Wear On This Stainless Steel Bolt

The Vibration Wear On This Stainless Steel Bolt

tallmin22 Report

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Saara-Elina Kaukiainen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is still enough shape left in the nuts and it seems that the bolt is partially intact.. So my guess, with a pair of pliers or a wrench.

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#15

We Still Have This Small Pumpkin My Wife Carved 3 Years Ago

We Still Have This Small Pumpkin My Wife Carved 3 Years Ago

Turkeyfart2 Report

#16

Rust Formed On This Old Spool Of Wire In One Of The Coolest Ways I've Ever Seen

Rust Formed On This Old Spool Of Wire In One Of The Coolest Ways I've Ever Seen

ggpurplecobras Report

#17

This Doberman Metal Sculpture Rusted To Look Like An Actual Doberman

This Doberman Metal Sculpture Rusted To Look Like An Actual Doberman

EdGeinIsMySugarDaddy Report

#18

The Way This Tree Is Growing Around The Hiking Sign

The Way This Tree Is Growing Around The Hiking Sign

AngDag Report

#19

When Its Obvious Who Got All The Love For The Past 21 Years

When Its Obvious Who Got All The Love For The Past 21 Years

Aniqueelise Report

#20

Layers Of Paint. It's A Piece Of The Wall In A Detroit Car Factory. People Have Actually Been Tumbling These And Calling Them Fordite Or Detroit Agate

Layers Of Paint. It's A Piece Of The Wall In A Detroit Car Factory. People Have Actually Been Tumbling These And Calling Them Fordite Or Detroit Agate

LabMantis Report

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Chris Watson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Like the layers of those blackball candies I used to get as a kid. 3 for a penny.

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#21

This Old Screen Has Pac-Man Burnt Into It

This Old Screen Has Pac-Man Burnt Into It

unit2981 Report

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postboredom
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This happened in my aunt's phone when she had the same home background for close to ten years

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#22

Took My Dad To See If His First Car Was Still Where He Left It When Its Engine Seized -- 40 Years Ago. It Was

Took My Dad To See If His First Car Was Still Where He Left It When Its Engine Seized -- 40 Years Ago. It Was

Deletraz Report

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#23

Crosscut Of An Old Waterpipe Showing The Layers Of Limescale Built Up Over Time

Crosscut Of An Old Waterpipe Showing The Layers Of Limescale Built Up Over Time

parasite3go Report

#24

My Great-Grandfather's Driving Licence No. 052 Issued In Halifax, Yorkshire. It Is Printed On Cloth

My Great-Grandfather's Driving Licence No. 052 Issued In Halifax, Yorkshire. It Is Printed On Cloth

The_Wilderness_1959 Report

#25

Windmill (1680) With Worn Down Stairs And Bottom Step (Where Everyone Would Pivot)

Windmill (1680) With Worn Down Stairs And Bottom Step (Where Everyone Would Pivot)

theemilystuds Report

#26

My Mother's Clipboard From Doing The Newspapers Crossword Puzzles For 30 Years

My Mother's Clipboard From Doing The Newspapers Crossword Puzzles For 30 Years

pairofcrocs Report

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Pseudo Puppy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm impressed that she's kept the clipboard for 30 years! We live in such a disposable society nowadays, it's heartbreaking.

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#27

Stanley Thermos Used Every Day From 1970 To 2018

Stanley Thermos Used Every Day From 1970 To 2018

MrJwoj Report

#28

This Door Has Worn Away From 50 Or So Years Of Being Hit By A Bell When Opened

This Door Has Worn Away From 50 Or So Years Of Being Hit By A Bell When Opened

noblecloud Report

#29

The Paint Peeling On This Building Kind Of Looks Like The Head Of A Lion

The Paint Peeling On This Building Kind Of Looks Like The Head Of A Lion

arennesree Report

#30

Rainbow Stalactites Formed From Years Of Dripping Dye

Rainbow Stalactites Formed From Years Of Dripping Dye

TheRed7God Report

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#33

This Shoe Was Left In The Window For 2 Months & It Shrunk

This Shoe Was Left In The Window For 2 Months & It Shrunk

beaverkc Report

#34

The Way This Tree Is Stripping The Paint Off This Sign Only To Cover Itself In Paint

The Way This Tree Is Stripping The Paint Off This Sign Only To Cover Itself In Paint

toka_smoka Report

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Lauren Caswell
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How does it grow itself in between the metal and paint? Why doesn't the paint just bunch instead of cover the bark? So many questions!

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#36

This Weathered Target Sign Looks Like A Heavy Metal Band Logo

This Weathered Target Sign Looks Like A Heavy Metal Band Logo

mooowolf Report

#37

My Aging Shift Knob And A Perfectly Good One Lurking Underneath

My Aging Shift Knob And A Perfectly Good One Lurking Underneath

ripyurballsoff Report

#38

This Skateboard Deck That Scratches Off To Reveal The Full Graphic

This Skateboard Deck That Scratches Off To Reveal The Full Graphic

Deathwishskateboards Report

#39

A Nut And Bolt: Far From And Close To The Sea

A Nut And Bolt: Far From And Close To The Sea

Mprovin Report

#40

300-Year-Old Bar's Footrest, Brick Wore Away Faster Than Mortar

300-Year-Old Bar's Footrest, Brick Wore Away Faster Than Mortar

silversheik2 Report

#41

The Way The Water Wore Away The Cement Top Layer

The Way The Water Wore Away The Cement Top Layer

reddit.com Report

#42

I Ran The Same Hill Sprint Enough Times Over Quarantine To Create My Own Path

I Ran The Same Hill Sprint Enough Times Over Quarantine To Create My Own Path

rolyatsenoj Report

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#43

What It Looks Like When A Cat Licks Cheese

What It Looks Like When A Cat Licks Cheese

IansjonesPGH Report

#44

Over 10 Years, My Socks Have Buffed The Right Pedal On My Piano

Over 10 Years, My Socks Have Buffed The Right Pedal On My Piano

JacobDoesStuff Report

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Rene Berendsen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

that's actually probably how it should look? looks like brass which has oxidized. Treat it with something like Brasso and they all look like the right one.

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#45

My In-Laws Teaspoon, It's Seen The Bottom Of So Many Cups It's Worn Flat

My In-Laws Teaspoon, It's Seen The Bottom Of So Many Cups It's Worn Flat

Not_starving_artist Report

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Victor Botha
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow, real silver spoon. Stainless steel won't wear like that. I have some similar forks that my great grandma used for mixing or whisking and the tines are worn down on the side the came in contact with the bowl

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#46

Stairs Made In Stone At Turkey Run State Park

Stairs Made In Stone At Turkey Run State Park

undefinedcolton Report

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Brenda Couvee
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

nope, nope, nope. They look like an accident waiting to happen

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#47

My Little Corner Shop In South Gloucestershire, England

My Little Corner Shop In South Gloucestershire, England

AB-G Report

#49

The Area Under The Card Swipe To Get Into My Building

The Area Under The Card Swipe To Get Into My Building

indycency Report

#50

Can We Just Get To The Part Where You Dispense Gas?

Can We Just Get To The Part Where You Dispense Gas?

complexlummox Report

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