April Fool's Day Has Lost Luster

Maybe it's a part of getting older, and more mature, but it seems like April Fool's Day has lost some of its luster to me. I used to look forward to this time of year, and I used to plan for it weeks ahead of time. Now, it's just another day.

I just remember in years past, I would plan out things weeks in advance. Whether it was a simple trick on one person, or a big trick played out to a large group of people. I've had some good ones in the past, if I do say so myself - which I do. Perhaps the best was a few years back when I wrote out this long, 10 paragraph, three-page rant about how I was selling off my possessions, going around the U.S. to travel and live out of my car for year or so. It was great - with the answer to the April Fool's trick cleverly hidden inside the long writing. The best was a phone call I got from my mother, who just about blew a gasket. I still remember answering the phone and after saying hello, hearing her say, "You son of a bitch." According to my dad, who laughed at it, she was ready to fly to St. Louis and rescue me.

There was another year I pulled a similar trick at a home softball game for the college I was working at and played the trick on the crowd that was at the game that day. I remember times in Tulsa when we pulled pranks on some of the people at work, filling it with balloons, or filling their desk drawers with styrofoam peanuts.

It was always fun just doing crazy things that made people laugh. That has always been enjoyable to me though, doing things to make people laugh. I'm a firm believer in the phrase 'laughter is the best medicine.' So I always try to do my part to make that happen. Seriously, who doesn't enjoy a good laugh? And most people enjoy a good laugh even if it's at their own expense.

I think that's why I enjoyed April Fool's Day so much - it was a chance to do make a joke or pull a prank that would make people laugh and feel better. But, the last couple of years, I really haven't done much of anything, and I'm not sure why. Lack of motivation maybe. Perhaps its just that I'm getting older, wiser and more mature (on second thought - it couldn't be that, and if you know me you'll agree - haha).

For whatever reasons though, it has kind of faded in its importance to me in terms of doing some kind of joke. Or maybe I've just run out of ideas. Maybe next year I can start planning out ahead of time and pull of another doozie, who knows. So be prepared, you never know when I'll get the urge to pull something off again.