A Second Time

I have read a blog entitled "A Second Time”, it is all about Jewelry made from vintage watches and other found items. This blog reminds me of my childhood days because I grew up in a poor family and recycling is a way of life. Since we cannot afford to buy new one, we usually settles with second hand or refurbished.


We give second, or even third, fourth life to everything as much as we can. And the most favorite is the flip flop or most commonly known here as slippers. During that time, most of us only wear slippers when going to school, that is why, it is our most overused apparel. And we maximize the use of it even up to the decomposition stage. We do everything to repair it when it is broken so we can use it again.

When only one of it is broken we will look for a slipper that don't have a pair, and we will pair it with the other one that is not broken.
So we will have a pair of slippers that is not similar, left one is usually in different color and design from the right one or vice versa. Or sometimes when the bottom is already worn out, we will remove the strap and transfer it to another sole that is not damage. And if doesn’t fit anymore to our feet, we will hand it to younger siblings. If I remember correctly, my mother bought only two slippers for me up to my high school days.

As I mentioned on my earlier post, we Filipinos are unwittingly helping the environment due to poverty. I started to realize that since childhood I'm already helping the environment by doing that. But I hope someday, poverty or money will not be the reason for doing that but due to our genuine concern for the environment.