On one of our weekly shopping trips I figured I should fill the tank as well. When finished that little message comes on the pump, “Would like a receipt?”
The answer is always yes. I don’t always get a receipt, but I still want one. This everyday question started me thinking. That’s how I get my story ideas. Just another random thought that blows through the empty spaces in my head.
At Home Depot the self-checkout kiosk asks, “Would you like your receipt emailed?” Never! E-books, oh no! Must be a real paperback or hard cover. I need the weight of the book. Black ink on white paper. Airline boarding pass, yep paper. Unless no printer available, I’m not quite a caveman.
Now what do I do with all those paper receipts? Well, there is a special place on my desk that I stack them up. I use a small 30/60-degree angle tool that my father made as a young machinist for a paperweight. When that gets too high to manage, I place them, not so neatly, in a file. Never to be seen again. Then at the end of the year, they go in the trash. You see you must keep them, just in case you need them. Which in 50 years of adulthood has never happened. But old habits are hard to break.
Now Barb on the other hand has completely evolved. E-books, paperless billing, Pinterest instead of magazines, etc. Most all her information comes off her phone, when she can find it, that is.
For me, I still need the magazines and newspapers just like the one you’re reading now. There is something about the feel of paper in my hands. That ink smudge that you leave when you take too long to turn the page. Even the sound it makes. When done reading for a while, I can stack them up on the coffee table to be revisited later. Right where I left off; but I never fold the corner. That would be unthinkable.
I’m happy to say that my daughter has been struck with the same affliction as myself. She actually has taken it to an extreme level. She organizes and runs the largest free book swap in Michigan. Bring books and take books, as many as you want. It’s all free. Try that with your dumb old e-books! My son takes after his mother. Tech all they. Oh well.
Sorry, no big finish on this article or major thought-provoking point. Just so happy that these paper publications still exist. We need them. The community needs them.
If for no other reason to give businesses like mine to have an affordable way to reach our neighbors. Also, the younger generation needs to know how to operate a paper publication. We have already taken cursive away from them, let’s try to keep them engaged with the real community.
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