I did one of those unintentional age tests the other day. Funny how you tend to forget from year to year. But I got down on the floor to wrap a few Christmas presents.
It usually goes pretty well while you’re down there. You get your routine going. You know. Move the cat, search for the scissors, move the cat, search for the tape, move the cat, try to remember which piece of paper you were going to use for which present, move the cat, try to find the tape again.
It was all going pretty good. I got a few presents wrapped, then I stood up. At least, I tried to stand up.
There is a sequence that seems to happen in life. There are times when you can just jump up from spending time sitting on the floor.
Then you move into the phase where you get up off the floor and say, “Interesting. Sounds like someone is making popcorn.” Then disappointment sets in as you figure out it’s not popcorn. It’s just your joints. But you’re hungry, so popcorn sounds really good. With extra butter.
Next up is the phase where you spend a few minutes on the floor and just make the attempt to stand up. Things do not unfold as they should. Things like your back, your legs, your hips… those things. So instead of actually standing up again, you just fall over onto the floor. But that’s okay. You’ll be alright. There are snacks under the couch. Probably popcorn from last year.
Every year, I promise myself I’m not going to do that anymore. I’m going to use gift bags instead. I even save gift bags from year to year so I can reuse them. It makes me feel very environmentally friendly, reusing the gift bags. If you try reusing wrapping paper, people could get upset with you for taking too long to open your gifts. And you’ll probably tear it anyway.
So gift bags are the better choice. You can reuse them. And they save you from having to sit on the floor. It really is a win-win. If I can just remember to use them.
