Actually, a buddy of mine went through something similar with an old farm ledger from his grandpa. He had to replace the entire back strip with new leather because the old stuff just crumbled. Some book collector told him he'd "destroyed" it, but his mom got teary-eyed because she could finally handle it without it falling apart. It really comes down to whether you see it as an artifact or a family piece. For something like a bible that gets touched and read, making it solid again is more important than keeping it perfect for a shelf.

Wait, you see this messing with careers too, @benlewis? That's actually scary. I just read about people feeling like failures because their job doesn't look like some highlight reel online. It sets up this impossible idea of constant wins and big moments. Honestly, normal work days start to feel like you're doing something wrong. It makes people quit good jobs just to chase a filtered fantasy.

Ever had a check catch something that seemed tiny but would've been huge? I remember a weekly look-over spotting a hairline crack in a compressor fitting. We almost brushed it off, but a few more days of vibration and it could've blown, spraying oil everywhere. @dakota_taylor39 nailed it with the habit part, because now my guys just expect to find those little things. It turns into this second nature that stops the big fails. Saves a lot of hassle down the road.

Paper bag" is putting it nicely. My old cheap one turned into a personal rain cloud that only rained on me. It was almost impressive how perfectly it failed.

Honestly it's just a water bottle though lol. People get way too worked up about what other folks buy with their own money.