This postcard from PostSecret seemed ingenious at first.

It reads:

I have a new signature for when
I am unhappy to sign that particular thing —
I add “sfu” after my name, and it makes me so happy!
Jane Doe “says fuck you!”
taxes, rent, car pmt, insurance

When I saw this it made me smile and I thought maybe I would add an “sfu” to the end of my signature when I didn’t want to sign. Then I tried to think when I would use it and I was stumped.

Would I have used it for those two years when Mike and I had to pay for a car that had been totaled by the insurance but wasn’t paid off yet?

No… I didn’t really blame Key Bank for the accident or the insurance that didn’t pay off the car.

Would I have used it for my house payment when Fairbanks Capital was harassing us and interfering with the sale of our home to pay off the IRS?

No… I hated Fairbanks, but I was grateful to have a home over my head, despite its burden.

Would I use it NOW to pay the IRS every month for their fees and interest on our tax debt from the first Dot Bomb?

No… As burdensome as the taxes are to us right now, I am still grateful for the libraries, and the roads. I’m even grateful for the soldiers that keep me safe from Somalian pirates and terrorists.

The more I thought about this PostSecret card, the sadder I got for Jane Doe. Instead of being grateful for what the taxes, rent, car payment and insurance pays for, she is just angry that she has to pay it. I wish I could send her a warm hug so she could feel the gratitude of having a country that protects her, a roof over her head, a car to drive and the financial protection of insurance (however flimsy it may be).

I don’t think I’ll ever be signing anything “Laura Moncursfu.”

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.