Bubble wrap can release stress

Today is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day and tomorrow is National Peanut Brittle Day. I don't care for peanut brittle but I really like bubble wrap. In addition to keeping contents of packages safe, bubble wrap is a better stress reliever than anything else I know.

Bubble Wrap was invented when I was five years old when a couple of guys were trying to make wallpaper in their garage. Have you ever noticed that most things seems to be invented in someone's garage? Once they realized the possibilities of their product they gave up on wallpapering and started the Sealed Air Corporation which is the leading manufacturer of Bubble Wrap.

If you want to make your own you should start with little plastic beads, then put them through an extruder like you do Play-Doh. Squeeze the stuff out onto sheets of clear plastic film then wrap the mixture around a drum with holes in it. Apply suction, creating the bubbles and laminate the other sheet to the first. Be careful to make sure the plastic doesn't leak causing all your carefully created bubbles to wilt.

Or you can do like the rest of us do, go to the store and buy it.

The main advantage of Bubble Wrap over other kinds of cushioning is that the recipient can pop the bubbles. It takes just enough effort to be satisfying. The loudness of the pop adds in the pleasure. The other advantage is that nobody yells because you have caused their living room to be filled with shreds of packing peanuts or newspaper.

January is the perfect time for popping bubbles. The holiday should be extended into February as the first two months of the year are such dreary months. It seems like the sun never shines. The grey, overcast sky sucks all the enthusiasm out of me. The dampness from the ever present fog permeates my soul and turns any optimism left inside me into a limp, wet washrag. There are few things worse than limp optimism.

Popping a few bubbles restores a little bit of life and satisfaction to my outlook.

I know that the cold, wet days are necessary for the spring flowers. I know that dreary skies make me appreciate sunny days even more. The flower bulbs nestled deep underground, the spindly lilac bushes and the wiry trees, all need these frigid, rainy days to put on a spectacular show this spring and summer. The ever-present rain and snow replenish the water supply. All living things need water.

In spite of all that I do not like it when it is cold and dark. I could never survive in the far north without sunshine. The warm rays of the sun are as necessary as chocolate and little girl smiles. Sunshine is as vital as baby hugs and phone calls.

If Bubble Wrap would emit real sunshine it would be perfect. Lamps that supposedly mimic the light that comes from that big yellow orb in the sky aren't the same as the real thing. For one thing, sunlight is free. And warm. Right about now the warmth is as important as the light.

Since summer is a few months away I will have to console myself by celebrating Bubble Wrap Appreciation day while I wait for the dreary winter weather to be over.[[In-content Ad]]