Had to pick between my mom's 40 year old sourdough starter or a $12 packet from the store, and I'm still second guessing it | Baking Fails And Wins - Hub Chatter
Gets how that feels. Forty years of anything is hard to walk away from, and a starter that old has a whole family history sitting in it. But $12 and a fresh packet means you can actually bake today instead of waiting to see if the old one still rises. Either way you made a call, and that beats standing in the aisle forever.