In the midst of a flurry of fiber at the Segal household, the sting of the recent famine was felt as deep as any paper-cut. I couldn’t help but think back to simpler times when sticky cellophane was plentiful and no one wanted for adhesive.
It started innocently enough and I should have seen the signs back then. In the summer of 2006, the mister and I began our packing extravaganza. We used the packing tape liberally to make sure that bubble wrap would stay wrapped and that boxes would hold together well and take a beating. I used it to tape over paper labels on packages that were sent out the door so that the label would be legible until the package reached its destination.
How free we were with our use of tape back then. We had 10 rolls after all, and we couldn’t see the end of that prosperity. It’s funny how hard times make you look back at your foolish youth of a year ago. Life has such a way of smacking down your pride and wastefulness just when you least expect it.
10 rolls. How were we to know that it would ever run out? There was no sign of a city-wide shortage back then. If we ran out we could always just get more.
We packed away, slowly, for a couple months and still had about 8 rolls remaining. During the last two weeks, our packing efforts intensified. Now, being less careful, things were crammed into boxes and sealed shut with 5, 6 sometimes as many as 10 strips of tape across the tops or bottoms to ensure that nothing could escape and that no box bottoms would be dropping out any time soon.
4 rolls remained at about t-minus 2 days and counting. I was still pretty casual about the whole thing. There were 5 big-box office supply or moving supply stores to which I could look for re-supply efforts, should they be needed. Most of the house had been packed so I needn’t worry about running dry before moving day. And, indeed, we didn’t run dry. Even with 3 tape guns wielded all day for 2 days, we still had 2 almost-full rolls left to toss into the back of the moving truck.
With little need of packing tape for the next handful of months, little attention was given to the slowly draining amount on the rolls. Christmas passed and a little more was used here and there. Mother traveled to Japan and yet more packages were sent; gifts to family members requiring a little tape here and there to keep those packages snug and warm.
This last Friday, things at the Segal household were going swimmingly. A beautiful weekend on the horizon with good weather reported to last through Tuesday, we were all snug in our humble home, looking forward to a lovely time.
Just as comfort and gladness surrounded us, tragedy struck. The packing tape ran dry.
How could this be? We searched high and low. We dug through packed box after packed box, searching for that one, last roll we knew HAD to exist. We found two tape guns but, alas, both were empty. We cast sideways glances at the duct tape and scotch tape but quickly realized that neither could replace our dear, sweet packing tape. The search extended to the upstairs area, where we rarely go as it is populated by different family units, extended portions of our own. Perhaps a tape gun had wandered away and gotten lost in the wild regions of the Up Stairs. Alas, no one there had seen any sign of packing tape.
The hunt In Town began on Saturday. At the local discount department store, no packing tape could be seen. The masses were out in force, preventing us from moving freely through the aisles and making us weep in frustration. We scarcely escaped with our lives. The local post office was packed with droves attempting to avoid an increase of a few cents due on Monday. Further, the packing tape at the post office is a far inferior choice due to its seeming 5x the normal thickness; such a horrible waste of materials at an astronomical price.
In a week’s time, I’m sure we will all look back and laugh, thankful that the hard times are in the past. For now, however, we struggle to get by, knowing that our packages are sitting at home, agape with their contents exposed to the elements; not on their way to their recipients who await them on pins and needles. The Great Packing Tape Famine of 2007 will be but a distant memory to many and a bed-time story to all those who are too young to remember. It will be up to you and me to keep the story alive. Never take your packing tape for granted. Some day, it may not be there anymore.
(How’s that for an excuse for not sending out the prize packages?)
