Shifting Perceptions
There’s an advertisement on the subway that I’ve been half-noticing for years. It’s a woman in a backyard holding a piñata. In front of her is a blindfolded little girl taking a swing with a baseball bat as the woman cringes away. The caption? “You really need a tree in your backyard.” For years I’ve been staring at it and thinking, “That’s a dumb ad.” Okay, I thought it was clever at first, but it’s been around for quite some time now, and I’m tired of looking at it. Fast-forward to now. I’m buying a house – a house with no trees on the property. Suddenly the advertisement comes into focus again. I remember the web address for long enough to look it up. It doesn’t seem so dumb anymore.