19 Spellbinding Photos That Make Time a Visible Thing

Even though time is invisible, it’s truly amazing how many objects around us maintain bright and vivid traces of time passing by and tell a story better than any novel. Just take a closer look at the things you use and see every day. Stuffed toys, wallets, boots, and even spoons — they are all waiting to tell you their decade-long secrets, if you’re ready to listen.

Here at Bright Side, we’ve chosen these 19 pics for you of objects that can no longer hide the footprints of time, and maybe you can enlarge our collection with your own amazing pics.

1. “How planting 90,000ish trees takes a few inches off of a shovel.”

2. This display shows what can happen to an object in a museum if people keep touching it for a long time.

3. A wallet that’s been used for 12 years and a new one

4. “This statue of a dog is worn down from all the people over the years who’ve pet it.”

5. “My dog’s tag: New vs 3 years of use”

6. “My cats patrol the same route around the garden and have worn a path into the grass.”

7. “My great-great-grandmother’s cooking spoon, worn down from years of stirring”

8. “The floor in front of the register has worn through all the floors since this restaurant opened in 1924.”

9. “The top of this pole has been worn away from all the people leaning on it.”

10. “3 of the same boot: 6 years old, 3 years old, and new.”

11. “The stone on this Italian castle is completely worn down by 700 years of rainfall dripping off the roof onto the exact same spot.”

12. “2 of the same bear, except one has been snuggled for 24 years straight.”

13. “A black shirt of mine that got a solar tie-dye job after years of being crammed into the back of my car”

14. “What years of use in a commercial kitchen looks like. The knife on the left was once the same as the knife on the right.”

15. The corners of these bricks were polished by the waves and now they look like a rock.

16. With time, the ink from an ID stained the plastic cover it was stored in.

17. “Erosion from dripping hands created a gravel path between this sink and soap dispenser.”

18. This dog’s favorite spot

19. “A dog touched by many people over time, on the Charles Bridge in Prague”

Have you ever seen such vivid traces of time in everyday objects? If you took a picture of those traces, show it to us in the comments!