From The Mud Puddle

Somewhere in the world, somebody lost their job.

They are no longer assembling the boxes my checks come in through the mail. The box came flat and I, the consumer, had to figure out the diagram and put together my own box to hold my checks.

I actually dont mind doing this sort of thing, and in fact find it fascinating. When I worked as a cashier at Rite Aid in high school, I remember putting together the display cases for special buys and products that would sit around the store. You know the ones made out of cardboard that you close to take out when you round the corner with your shopping buggy?

I have always loved putting things together like this, from those display cases, to the doll house furniture kit my parents bought me one Christmas, to the shelves and assorted inexpensive furniture we've bought over the years. Perhaps it's the challenge to see how well the actual instructions get me from point A to point B. Sometimes the instructions do well, other times, not so much. At the times when the instructions are horrible, it adds just another level of excitement (or frustration, depending on how you're looking at things) to the assembly.

There is pride in the finished product. There is an air of confidence. There is hopefully something sturdy and strong made in the process.

The checks I received today were sent in a flat package. As I opened them, all the checks fell out along with the flat box. I thought, "Brilliant"....a word I am trying to use more often as I expand my vocabulary.(LOL) At first I thought that it was a security thing, that finally they were going to change up how they mailed checks. Apparently that is just part of it. The other part of it has to do with the new postal regulations. That in itself is a post perhaps for another time.

But for now, my mind wonders who that person, or persons are that lost their job assembling my check boxes. Was that job lost long ago? Were my boxes put together by machines all these years and I was unaware? Did the person monitoring the machine loose his job? If so, I am sorry it has come to this for you. It is rotton to loose a job and I sympathize with your pain.

So with that, I'll assemble my check box with joy as I remember this day here in my blog as a day that someone somewhere feels replaced by security and postal regulations.

posted by Muddy at 1:50 PM