Boxes or Out of the Box

Every time I go to Costco and the nice folks there say, “Would you like boxes?” I think of Zhang Yin. Five years ago she and her husband came to the US from a working class background in China and started a paper recycling business, and now Mrs. Yin is the fifth richest woman in the world. They buy waste paper, ship it to China and make boxes with it. Those boxes then house all the consumer items that we buy from China and the same paper comes back to us. One might even think that this paper cycle could be akin to the water cycle.

So I say, “Heck yes, I’ll take boxes.”

Actually, my thing about boxes started after moving so many times and having to scrounge boxes. There is nothing like a good computer or printer box. It seems like flatish boxes are good because one doesn’t want to put too much weight in one box. Back in those days when I found a good dumpster of a new company with lots of good quality boxes, I felt like I’d struck it rich. And wow! Zhang Yin did strick it rich. Too cool.



A couple years ago we took up the carpet and cleared all the furniture out our great room in order to fix the floor. Nothing much has happened since. Last winter, I decided that it would be nice to sit in front of the fireplace and read, so I used our fancy camping furniture and yes, a really cool box as a table. One of the things that is nice about this box is that the cat can hide from the dog underneath. I am really starting to like this setup and one of these days I am going to paint this box to make it more attractive.  It is cozy comfortable, easy to clean; what more could one ask?




My other favorite boxes are the strawberry boxes that stack. They are very handy for storing beads and all those started beading projects that I will finish some day.

I don’t want to get boxed into the idea that furniture is a necessity for happiness.