How my slides saved me from losing $10k

About a year ago, when I saw NKE drop below $80, I decided I was going to buy $20k worth of shares. I was already logged into my brokerage account and about to place the order. While I was thinking about whether to put in $20k or $25k, I was absentmindedly looking down — and I saw my Nike slides. I remember perfectly when I bought them: the summer between 7th and 8th grade, because I was going to the beach. I know for a fact that it was 2002. I immediately found them incredibly comfortable, and I’ve worn them every single day at home ever since, whether it’s summer or winter. Over the years, people have tried to give me all kinds of different slides to get me to replace them, but they’ll never succeed. After 24 years of daily use, after being exposed to the scorching sun every summer when I go to the beach, after letting me climb and walk over rocks, they’re still basically perfect. The soles haven’t worn down by even a millimeter. Then I immediately thought about the Air Force 1s I’ve been wearing in recent years: I have to replace them every six months because the soles wear out. White shoes turn yellow in the sun. I buy T-shirts or sweatpants that fade a little after going through the washing machine. And that was the moment I realized: I wasn’t going to put a single dollar into this stock — and I never will.