A Matter of Perspective

A couple of years back, I sent a holiday card to the relatives.  My mother-in-law immediately phoned my husband wanting to know if everything was alright.  Because it was his mother and because of his particular brand of humor, my husband implied that I might be on the brink of disaster.  My mother-in-law suggested putting me on a suicide watch.  "Did you see the card she sent?"  My husband said he couldn't remember if he did or not.  She explained that it was a drawing of a person hanging herself.  My husband said that sounded familiar and put me on the phone.

I tried to reassure my mother-in-law that it was not my intension, to send a holiday card of a girl hanging herself, and though I could now see how it could be interpreted that way, I had in fact, drawn a merry child swinging.

During the holidays my husband took a survey.  Some agreed with my mother-in-law, though an equal number thought the card light-hearted and whimsical.  Several had no opinion at all.