toothpaste (original)

Bleary-eyed and jet-lagged, you find yourself in the impulse aisle of a supermarket at the Rome train station. Toothpaste was the mission—but why settle for something familiar? The gleaming silver box catches your eye, its elegant design impossible to ignore. Licorice flavor? Questionable. But the packaging? Mesmerizing.

“Andiamo!” A sharp command from the short yet formidable woman herding people through self-checkout snaps you from your trance. No time to second-guess—you grab it, pay, and move on. Maybe it was sleep deprivation, or maybe inspiration strikes in the strangest moments.

Only after the box is crushed, its pristine surface creased and worn, does its true character emerge. Like people, its beauty deepens with every wrinkle and scar—proof of a life well lived.