Recycled Amazon Cardboard Figure Drawings by David Reuter

THE EMPTY AMAZON BOX

You weren’t expecting any company today, so you’re a little startled when you hear a loud knock on your front door. You quickly drop everything you’re doing and open your door just in time to see a delivery truck pulling away from the curb. A smile begins to work its way across your face, because sitting right in front of you is a cardboard box. You shout-out a quick “thank you” to that anonymous truck driver as they disappear down the street and you close your eyes and savor that dopamine rush. 

That simple dance has created billionaires of a handful of people and is repeated countless times every day. It’s almost become a daily act of nature, like high and low tides, sunrises and sunsets, and multivitamins. I’ll be the first to admit that I love shopping online, because whenever I visit Amazon.com I become an explorer who revels in the experience of spelunking the caves, caverns, and chambers of the online shopping universe. 

I’ll search tirelessly for that perfect gift for a friend or family member, or for that reward for myself that has somehow eluded me throughout my entire life. Then, I gently place my baubles, bangles, and beads into my virtual shopping cart and, like a modern day Magellan, I navigate my way through the treacherous checkout process and almost magically, my package arrives right at my feet.

But, what happens to THE EMPTY AMAZON BOX?