Infinite Ink

The Big Box Theory

I have a theory about people who leave empty soap boxes in the bathroom cabinet. They must really like folded cardboard. I like boxes myself (ever seen one of those cute boxes with ribbons and stuff in gift stores?) and I even keep some cute gift boxes just to look at but I throw away the box that the soap comes in the moment I take it out and put it in the soap dish. Realistically speaking, the proper explanation is that they just leave the empty box in the cabinet because they forget, but really, there's box collecting and then there's "box collecting", know what I mean?

No? Well, I'll tell you. "Box collecting" means that you have the empty box that your perfume came in--from three years ago. You have the toothpaste tube lying next to the sink, with the empty toothpaste tube box lying next to it. The cake mix has long since been turned into baked cake and passed through the digestive systems of each family member, but the box sits happily in the kitchen cabinet. You get the idea.

There is no twelve-step program to break the habit of "box collecting". The only solution is for the person's family members to throw away the boxes for him. This may result in a nasty surprise when the box collector discovers his loss, but he can be expected to recover from it. Eventually.

I'm guilty of not discarding random items that should have been thrown away, but I keep them safely out of sight. In a box. Hey, don't give me that look, it's a big plastic one that's big enough for storing--OK, I have a big box full of random stuff, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Do you experience random stuff/random box collecting, in your own habits or those of your family members? What do you do about it?