Summer of 2005
I guess it is time for an update. Those who are closest to me in life already know what has transpired in the past year. Those who don't know me as well probably don't care too much.... Let me just say that time has moved at a rapid pace since I last posted.
I know fewer things than I did a year ago. No, it is not just the effects of age....it is the realization that things that were not questioned in the past because of their "undeniable truth", are now more aptly described as views or beliefs. Instead of understanding the world around us, I now focus on appreciating it, instead.
I am also amazed at how the value of things changes over time. My metal tape dispenser continues to go up in value...OK, in case you haven't read about it, here it is:
Tape Dispenser Agony
I’m really not against progress, and I have nothing against things made of plastic, as a general rule. But, there are some exceptions.... Let me back up for a minute. I once moved into a new office and was dismayed when I asked for office supplies. My Assistant immediately brought me a metal tape dispenser from the infamous office supply cabinet. My first reaction was one of shock and dismay! It looked like it had been through at least one World War, maybe a flood or tornado, and most certainly subjected to the elements for at least a generation. Earlier in its life, it appeared to have been an ugly green color, like that of stale pea soup, or hospital walls in the 1960’s. I'm not really sure, but that's the best I could surmise from what little color was left. Most of the paint had long since worn off, leaving a bare metal exposed. There were areas with light rust, and numerous nicks and scars from earlier battles. “Wow” I remember saying. “It looks like it came over on the Mayflower”. My assistant agreed, and suggested I order a newer one. “No”, I said in my best “I don’t want to cause any problems” voice. “This one will do”.
I had no idea then, that the beleaguered tape dispenser would follow me for the rest of my life. I couldn’t leave it behind when I left my job (although technically, it was the company’s property rather than mine). Oh, I admit that since that day, I have tried the new, brightly colored plastic dispensers that are available. You know, the ones with sand sealed in the base to make them feel a little heavier? When you try to pull off a length of tape, the entire dispenser scoots rapidly towards you and off the edge of the desk, so that instead of the tape cutting off cleanly, the entire dispenser wraps around your fingers. Pulling on the tape a second time only results in a bigger, stickier mess, with the circle of tape now wrapped around your hand, and the worthless dispenser dangling stubbornly below. Finally, after escaping the sticky residue from your first failed attempt, you resort to holding the dispenser in one hand while cautiously pulling off a length of tape with the other hand, muttering your best tape dispenser curses in the process. Another lost minute of your life at the hands of the plastic dispenser! This is unnatural, and definitely not the way God intended tape to be dispensed. With my cast iron (or forged steel, I’m not sure which) behemoth, one hand is all that is needed. The three-pound brute sits motionless and content while I pull off length after length of tape, (and yes, with only one hand and a gentle tug).
Sadly enough, our society has taken a large step backward in the area of dispensing tape. I will keep my battered dispenser, warts and all. It does its job as well today as it did 50 years ago. Others can have the plastic replicas that are readily available in stores. Long after those cheap plastic versions have cracked or broken, (or frustrated their users into throwing them through the nearest open window), my beat-up, tank-like dispenser will still be doing its job. Despite its many cosmetic flaws, it dutifully dispenses tape time after time without hassle or complaint. And at least in my eyes, it becomes more beautiful each passing year. Maybe lessons can be learned from something as ordinary as a tape dispenser.
I know fewer things than I did a year ago. No, it is not just the effects of age....it is the realization that things that were not questioned in the past because of their "undeniable truth", are now more aptly described as views or beliefs. Instead of understanding the world around us, I now focus on appreciating it, instead.
I am also amazed at how the value of things changes over time. My metal tape dispenser continues to go up in value...OK, in case you haven't read about it, here it is:
Tape Dispenser Agony
I’m really not against progress, and I have nothing against things made of plastic, as a general rule. But, there are some exceptions.... Let me back up for a minute. I once moved into a new office and was dismayed when I asked for office supplies. My Assistant immediately brought me a metal tape dispenser from the infamous office supply cabinet. My first reaction was one of shock and dismay! It looked like it had been through at least one World War, maybe a flood or tornado, and most certainly subjected to the elements for at least a generation. Earlier in its life, it appeared to have been an ugly green color, like that of stale pea soup, or hospital walls in the 1960’s. I'm not really sure, but that's the best I could surmise from what little color was left. Most of the paint had long since worn off, leaving a bare metal exposed. There were areas with light rust, and numerous nicks and scars from earlier battles. “Wow” I remember saying. “It looks like it came over on the Mayflower”. My assistant agreed, and suggested I order a newer one. “No”, I said in my best “I don’t want to cause any problems” voice. “This one will do”.
I had no idea then, that the beleaguered tape dispenser would follow me for the rest of my life. I couldn’t leave it behind when I left my job (although technically, it was the company’s property rather than mine). Oh, I admit that since that day, I have tried the new, brightly colored plastic dispensers that are available. You know, the ones with sand sealed in the base to make them feel a little heavier? When you try to pull off a length of tape, the entire dispenser scoots rapidly towards you and off the edge of the desk, so that instead of the tape cutting off cleanly, the entire dispenser wraps around your fingers. Pulling on the tape a second time only results in a bigger, stickier mess, with the circle of tape now wrapped around your hand, and the worthless dispenser dangling stubbornly below. Finally, after escaping the sticky residue from your first failed attempt, you resort to holding the dispenser in one hand while cautiously pulling off a length of tape with the other hand, muttering your best tape dispenser curses in the process. Another lost minute of your life at the hands of the plastic dispenser! This is unnatural, and definitely not the way God intended tape to be dispensed. With my cast iron (or forged steel, I’m not sure which) behemoth, one hand is all that is needed. The three-pound brute sits motionless and content while I pull off length after length of tape, (and yes, with only one hand and a gentle tug).
Sadly enough, our society has taken a large step backward in the area of dispensing tape. I will keep my battered dispenser, warts and all. It does its job as well today as it did 50 years ago. Others can have the plastic replicas that are readily available in stores. Long after those cheap plastic versions have cracked or broken, (or frustrated their users into throwing them through the nearest open window), my beat-up, tank-like dispenser will still be doing its job. Despite its many cosmetic flaws, it dutifully dispenses tape time after time without hassle or complaint. And at least in my eyes, it becomes more beautiful each passing year. Maybe lessons can be learned from something as ordinary as a tape dispenser.