Skip to main content

April Fools Day

April 1. April Fools Day. Love it or hate, it happens every year.

As I've always liked to see myself as a jovial sort, I've always enjoyed the day. I like a good joke and prank as much, if not more, than the next person. This day pretty much is like having a license to be a goof!

I must admit that I really miss working at the sheltered workshop most on April Fools Day. If you're unfamiliar with what a sheltered workshop is, it's basically a place where folks with special needs learn vocational skills. I worked at one for about 10-12 years. It was a hoot! It was hard work but always enjoyable...especially when one of the individuals we worked with exceeded their own expectations.

What was ALWAYS fun was April Fools Day. At least 100 times each and every April Fools Day, I would be told "Your shoe's untied! April Fools!". I always knew to expect it and I relished it every time. I would take that moment to try to teach the folks to not be predictable...to think up a NEW gag and try again later. And they always tried! Some even came up with some good ones!

It was always great because that was the one day that all of the folks we worked with felt pretty much equal. Laughter is really the great equalizer. These folks would play pranks on each other as well as the staff. Sure, there was always one grumpy gus who would get cranky about it (usually a staff member) but the majority of us loved it. To this day, I still expect someone to tell me that my shoe is untied...regardless of whether or not I'm wearing loafers!

To all of my former clients...THANK YOU! I miss each and every one of you. I think that in the scheme of things, they taught me more than I ever taught them.

So, the next time someone plays a harmless prank on you...go with it. Have fun. Life is too short to be serious all the time. And ya never know...you just may learn something. And you may even be surprised just who teaches you a lesson.

YOUR SHOE'S UNTIED!!!!!!! APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Money Miser

I'm usually not one to suggest products or suggest against products...unless I think they're really fantastic or utter pieces of crap. Well I'm here to tell ya, the Money Miser Coin Sorter SUCKS ROTTING ZOMBIE ASS! I've always been frugal...but don't take that as cheap . I work hard for my money and I like to save when/where I can. For the past few years (which from 2007-2010 were really tight), I've always kept a jar on the kitchen table, and when I get home at night (or in the morning as is the case most days) I dump whatever pocket change I have into said jar. I'd usually cash it in at Ye Olde Coinstar machine just before payday...in case I needed gas, lunch money, or just a night on the town. I would usually amass $60 or per month this way. This past year has been pretty decent financially so around May, I switched to a bigger jar. I hadn't taken anything OUT of the jar since around April. Well, the jar finally got so full (and so heavy I co...

New Book! (and what comes next)

 My 1st print book now exists. What a strange way to put it. I've always enjoyed writing, even when I was a kid and it wasn't cool . Honestly, I never thought I'd do anything with it. It was just another outlet for all of the ideas banging around in my head. For decades, a lot of these thoughts became songs. Now I've returned to the simplicity of words. I write because I enjoy telling stories - pretty much the same with songwriting. The only difference is that now I don't have to go on a stage or into a recording studio. There I days I miss both, but who knows...maybe one day I'll do it all again. Writers write for different reasons. Some for acclaim or notoriety. Some for profit. Same as with music, painting, sculpting, acting - I think those goals are a matter of seeking validation. But for what? Doing what you enjoy is validation enough. For years I've written this blog. In some ways, it's the perfect medium for me. I do it, it's done, published, ...

A Very Teddy Tuesday

 I told myself I wouldn't do this. I didn't want to share any part of the new book yet. But - I'm enjoying it too much, and that feels selfish. Lord knows I don't write for any reason other than to share stories, so I edited a few bits down to this little excerpt. You might like it. Might not. Might think WTF?! Might ignore it all together. No matter what you think, or if you even read it at all, I'm enjoying writing it. Those who know me won't be surprised. Yet. - MCM 6/20/26 Mid-afternoon sun spilled through a dirty window, cutting across the living room in long golden beams. Dust drifted lazily through the light. Teddy the cockroach made his way up a dusty work boot. The boot had been there longer than anyone could remember. So had the body beside it. The humans who once occupied the old house were long gone. Their furniture remained. Their toys remained. Their guns remained. Even some of the humans themselves remained, though mostly as bones and geography. T...