The older I get the less I buy into the adage “Out with the old, in with the new.”

I’m all in favor of getting rid of what isn’t working – old or new, but as a blanket policy, OWTOIWTN is kind of short-sighted.

A wise old man once said, “The more dials you have on a washing machine, the more things that can break down.” The problem with new is that it has not stood the test of time, yet “New” is the biggest word used in marketing.

Too often, “New” is attempting to sell you something new that old does just fine.

Take your car as an example. Do you really need a new car? You may want a new car but do you really need one? Car buying is typically not a logical choice. Logic will tell you that the new car smell is the most expensive aroma you’ll ever buy, but we’re usually smelling with our emotions.

This is not a plea to hoard; those people make me exclaim, “Good Lord!” This is more of an exercise in appreciation for that which you already have.

Old can inform new, so that new has a shelf life longer than the attention span of . . . (Squirrel).

Old has lots of information that new forgot to tap into – a practice that makes a lot of new stuff outdated in a hurry.

My car is 12 years old. I bought it new and by most standards, it’s now old, but it works just fine. I did hear a loud noise last week and took it to an old-time mechanic. He said that the pipe that goes into the catalytic converter had rusted out. The easiest thing to do was to replace the catalytic converter and it was also the most expensive. Instead, he got a piece of pipe and his old welding machine and just replaced the piece that was malfunctioning. I saved a bundle. I guess I should really put it into a fund for when I actually need a new car.

Yes, rid yourself of old if it’s stale and outdated, but resist the temptation to the allure of new, especially when old is tried and true.

All the best,

John