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| One Senior's beverage of choice |
I just opened my first tube of Tom’s of
Maine toothpaste, touted by my relations and GREEN ads for years. After tearing the sealed box and unscrewing
the cap, I still needed to peel off a little silver piece of whatever before I
could savor the Clean Minty, whitening, cavity protection, Clinically Proven, natural, fluoride toothpaste, accepted by the
ADA.
It’s not fair that a tube of toothpaste should have so many good qualities, but what irked me was the silver tab. In the event someone was interested enough to contaminate the tube, just in case I missed the ripped and resealed package, I would still hope that if anything odd-looking came out I would have the presence of mind NOT to stick it in my mouth.
It’s not fair that a tube of toothpaste should have so many good qualities, but what irked me was the silver tab. In the event someone was interested enough to contaminate the tube, just in case I missed the ripped and resealed package, I would still hope that if anything odd-looking came out I would have the presence of mind NOT to stick it in my mouth.
Increasingly
frustrated with new merchandise, many child-proof openings are also
senior-proof. Age and injury cause my arms
and hands to go numb of their own accord, so I can no longer grip large
bottles or cans. Fortunately my left
hand has always worked pretty well, because I use the two in tandem more and more.
Parched in the middle of the night, I reached for a small bottle of juice; the plastic 6-pack kind, but I couldn’t twist the cap off to save my life. In the dim light, without glasses, I felt for a pull tab; none. Tried my left hand; a rubber grip pad; a pair of pliers. Finally, with a knife and tears in my eyes, I slowly sawed through the tiny serrated edge; tricky, since it kept slipping. Then came the scissors, to force underneath and snip; pliers again to pull apart and then I think I still had to push and turn.
Ocean Spray will not have a repeat customer, but they’re not the only ones. Each time I shop I look for an easy-opening on pink grapefruit or some other variety juice, but resignedly I reach for the little boxes of apple and pretend I've got grandchildren. THESE I can handle. Sometimes it’s hard to push the straw through the silver opening and I spill some before it gets to my mouth, but oh well. At least I can open it without crying.
Parched in the middle of the night, I reached for a small bottle of juice; the plastic 6-pack kind, but I couldn’t twist the cap off to save my life. In the dim light, without glasses, I felt for a pull tab; none. Tried my left hand; a rubber grip pad; a pair of pliers. Finally, with a knife and tears in my eyes, I slowly sawed through the tiny serrated edge; tricky, since it kept slipping. Then came the scissors, to force underneath and snip; pliers again to pull apart and then I think I still had to push and turn.
Ocean Spray will not have a repeat customer, but they’re not the only ones. Each time I shop I look for an easy-opening on pink grapefruit or some other variety juice, but resignedly I reach for the little boxes of apple and pretend I've got grandchildren. THESE I can handle. Sometimes it’s hard to push the straw through the silver opening and I spill some before it gets to my mouth, but oh well. At least I can open it without crying.
I always said if I was stranded on a desert island with tons of food in today's packaging I'd starve to death. For some you need the thumbnail of Fu Manchu. Others would have to be run over by a Mack truck.
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