The Ship of Theseus

My favorite shirt is one that was given to me by a  friend who is no longer with me. Since it's the last thing of them I have, I wear it all the time. Even though I know I should probably keep it safe, I wear it everywhere. 

Every time the shirt rips, it's like a little stab in the gut. I can patch it up seamlessly, and it looks no different from when I first got it, but i know that there's a little bit less of the shirt that my friend held in his hands every time it gets stitched back together. Those patches aren't his shirt.

when, or if, the shirt falls apart, i have a box for all the loose threads to stay inside of. when it's all but a mess of string and dry rot, i'll hold it in my hands and say "this is my friends' shirt" 

 The captain of Theseus's Ship, should he care for it at all, I think would not look at the ship the same even if it were identical. You cannot have the same sea air, the same water of its first voyage, ever come back to warp the wood again. 

it might be irrational, but that captain will never have the original ship again, no matter the replacements.

and i will never have my friend again either.