The ink fades on old letters, but people still frame them. Faded doesn’t mean worthless.

Things that have worn down are rarely valued less for it. A faded letter goes behind glass precisely because it has aged, and the fading is evidence that it has been around a long time and mattered enough to keep. Wear is a record of use, not a defect in the thing.

If you have been treating something as ruined because it looks worn, give it another look. A jacket, a book, a friendship that went through a bad stretch. Repair it or keep using it rather than replacing it.