Last Saturday, April 1st, was my mother-in-law's birthday. It also happened to be April Fools'. Though we lasted the day without anyone getting pranked, my husband shared a story from many years ago on the same day.
As friends and family gathered around my mom-in-law singing happy birthday, her younger sister slowly entered the room and gently placed her birthday cake on the table. The song ended and my mom beamed as she blew out her candles. Everyone clapped merrily, anticipating what's next.
She reached for the knife and eagerly started to cut the cake. Nothing happened. She tried again. Same thing. Until she moved some of the frosting aside to uncover sponge. Not the kind you eat but more like the dishwashing kind. Her younger screamed "Happy April Fools!" and everyone, apparently all in on it, busted out laughing.
Except mom.
She burst out crying and dashed for her room.
I thought it was funny.
Everyone else did.
It wasn't like there was no real cake waiting in the other room.
A few apologies and some coaxing later, they managed to get her out of her bedroom and re-enacted the same moment, now with her real cake.
It still makes me laugh just thinking about it.
Moral of the story?
Have a sense of humor.
Chill out.
People aren't always laughing at you. Many times they're laughing with you.
There's always room for play.
It's that space in between where we just let loose, act silly, sing karaoke, recharge, have fun, recover - before bouncing back to tackle the serious stuff.
Make time for play. Laugh. Tell silly jokes. Hop on your bike. Live, if not just for an afternoon, like a kid again. Where worries are put to rest, problems do not exist and time doesn't matter. And the only pursuit is finding joy in the present moment.
Everyone needs a break,
Lillian Too’s Mandala Team Member, Marge