Cards are as individual as the people who send them. Some are humorous, and meant to give us a smile. While others challenge us to stop and ponder this life we all share. Whatever the intent, a card tells you the sender was thinking of you, and wanted you to know that.

In the current marketplace, we can find quite a variety of cards from which to choose. From the hand-made pieces (right down to the paper),… to the totally innocuous e-cards we are seeing more and more of. Each in it’s own way, says something about us when we send it.

I have several friends who have signed up with e-card companies. You fill in certain birthday/anniversary info on their form, and they will remind you of the impending date, or just go ahead and send an e-card in your name. Now, I know their heart is in the right place, and they have very busy schedules, but this type of card is one short step above “I don‘t have time for this”. (It’s cute for the moment, but there’s nothing personal to save.)

It’s completely different when you physically find something (that isn’t a bill or an ad), in your mailbox. A hand-addressed envelope with a real stamp, can quickly get somebody’s attention. It says that someone took the time to pick out something that moved them in some way, … and they wanted to share it with you.

Still, … finding a card that speaks to reality, instead of some dead poet’s frilly account of things, can be a bit challenging. Something that reflects our modern existence, requires a whole new attitude in the card industry.

We need to be able to find a card that says what you might have said in real life (if you were having a very good brain activity day). It’s becoming a viable niche in the industry. Cards for the everyday life situations in which we have all (for good or bad), found ourselves.

They should be thought provoking, and able to adapt to various interpretations, according to the wishes of the sender. For example,… the picture of an old toy truck, would give each of us a different “memory trigger”. This “triggering” can be accomplished just as easily with words.

Words paint a definite picture in our mind’s eye. The same card can say a variety of things, if it’s crafted properly. Remembering a Spring day, might produce a warm smile or a melancholy memory of what might have been. Laughing at someone’s foibles might be a sharp jab, or a jovial nudge not to take life so seriously. It just depends on who sends it, … and who gets it. Their personal intent becomes the trigger.

In this world of Home Depot & Wal-Mart size companies (where everyone and their grandmother can have the same screwdrivers and bath towels, no matter where they live), it becomes a challenge to find something individual and unique. You don’t really want to send the same card, on a friend’s recent promotion, as their Great Aunt Hattie. (You probably have a whole different take on the event.)

The card industry needs to produce more pieces that fill this ever growing “hole” in the market. Honest statements of everyday life, that are meant to be shared/aired. Expanding their offerings to include this segment of the population’s needs, will enable us all to truly say what’s on our minds. (And hopefully, do it with a little class!)