Random Observation

So, yesterday we got the news that the husband's aunt had slipped, fallen and, quite literally, had broken her neck. They had to airlift her to Peoria from her home in Rock Island. Now, don't worry---it's just a broken neck and not the severed spinal cord everyone assumes comes with said broken neck. (She's the third person I've known that's had this happen.) She'll be fine after a time. As long as she lies still, she will only have to suffer the indignity of a neck brace. If she doesn't lie still, well, it's the Halo unit for her. This course of treatment, to put it mildly, will go against the grain for this particular aunt. She's a busybody and it's going to be a trial for her and those around her for the next few months---because she'll be a pill about it---but we're sure she'll make it through just fine.

Anyway, the husband and I walked down to Walgreens last night to get a card to send off to her, conveying our wishes that she "Get Well Soon."

This shouldn't have been a problem. But it was. There were barely any get well cards in an aisle solely devoted to greeting cards. We finally found the section where they resided, but it was hard work to do so.

It pretty much seemed to me that as far as the greeting card companies were concerned, well, life should be a joyful process from birth to death. There were loads of birthday cards, graduation cards, mother's day cards, father's day cards, first communion cards, etc. They even had a whole section devoted to "sympathy" cards. You know, the ones you send when someone dies.

But as far as cards for the hard times in life? Well, those were far and few between. Sure they had "coping" cards---the kind you send when someone's going through a bad time instead of calling and perhaps having to hear all about it when you don't want to---but these were the most mealy-mouthed cards I've ever seen. One read, "I hope you're coping." Another read, "I'm thinking about you in your time of trouble." Bleh. Then we finally came across the "get well soon" section and it was measly. Measly. There were something like ten cards to choose from, thus guaranteeing that every person in the hospital probably has the same card as the husband's aunt.

What's the deal here? Is the bad stuff that happens in life not a worthy excuse to send the very best? Hmmm? Do the "artists" that come up with the greeting cards refuse to create something for these people because they can't handle the negative energy, maaaaaan? This makes absolutely no sense from a consumer's viewpoint: most people buy cards to express sentiments they cannot set down on paper themselves. This is doubly hard when it comes to difficult situations. Why are the greeting card companies seemingly ignoring the bad stuff? Hmmmm?

Life is not a Hallmark commercial. One would think that they, of all people, would know this.

Posted by Kathy at April 18, 2005 12:58 PM