Lighten Up

Most years I at least try to pull some kind of April Fools Day prank.  Most years, it fails miserably, and no one falls for it.  This year was different.

I posted on my Facebook page that I was transferring schools.  I honestly did not expect anyone to believe it given that it was posted today, but within two hours of posting it, I had recieved so much feedback, it was almost unbelievable.  So far, at least ten people have fallen for it based on comments, "likes", texts, and IM's.  In addition, I upset one of my friends that lives around here and pissed off one of my friends that lives there.  Two of the people I care about most in this world.

My experiences with this prank have left me with a wide gammot of mixed emotions.

My first reaction was humor.  I thought it was pretty funny that so many people fell for my little prank, especially after all of my past failed pranks.  I must admit that I still find it rather funny that so few people questioned whether or not it was an April Fools joke.

My next reaction was guilt.  I felt bad that I had upset people that I so deeply care about.  However, I must admit, this reaction really didn't last long before giving way to more stronger emotions.

After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I felt very loved given the reactions that I got.  When people thought that I would be coming to them or would be leaving them, they had strong reactions that made me feel more loved than I have in quite a while.  It seems a little wrong, but the fact that this upset people really made me feel really good.

My strongest emotion now with all of this is simply confusion.  How on Earth did I get away with this?  Have people completely forgotten that April Fools exists?  If so, why am I not taking advantage of that fact?

I finally got a text from my brother that restored my faith in humanity.  He asked me if I was playing an April Fools joke and it completely made me feel better.  At least there was someone out there who questioned it.  I'm still surprised at the people who were upset by it.  Did they really think I would do something this big without having talked to them about it?  Did they really think I would let them find out through Facebook?  REALLY!?!

If that's what they think, there may be more problems here than I thought.

I would love to have spent today's post talking about some of the greatest April Fools jokes I had seen or read about today, but this is one of only two that I've heard about.

The other one happened to my Astronomy professor.  She apparently came to work today and was informed that her students had complained to her to the president of the university.  I found this hillarious, because hers is the last class I would have any reason to complain about.

I remember a time when people would go all out, and April Fools was really one of the biggest holidays of the year.  Ok, granted, I'm probably overexagerating as I often do, but it was a bigger deal than it is now.  It's really a shame too that April Fools is becoming an ever smaller event, because I feel like the world could certainly use the reminder now more than ever that they don't have to take themselves serisously.

Think about it.  How often do people laugh at their mistakes?  On the other hand, how often are people incredibly embarrased by their mistakes?  In my experience, people are more likely to do the latter.

I guess the best I can do is to leave you with one final thought that basically sums up my feelings from today:  Quit taking yourself so seriously.  If you need more motivation, here's one of my favorite comics that puts it into perspective:

xkcd: Dignified

That basically sums it up.