Rick Patrick
Columnist
The late Mark Twain once said today (April First) is “the day set aside to remind us of what we are the other 364 days of the year.” I don’t disagree that there might be a bit of truth in that statement. If you look around, it’s not hard to find more than anyone’s fair share of “foolishness” these days. I really don’t know that there’s much wrong with engaging in a bit of “foolishness” every once in a while.
Today is also a great day for enjoying a good practical joke. I love a fun practical joke. The ones that can cause a person to chuckle at themselves are the best. I remember my dad had a great sense of humor. I like to think one of the better traits I inherited from him was a fun sense of humor. He was to always enjoy a chuckle, even when it came at his own expense. One of the best jokes I have ever seen was when he received a letter from the Nebraska Game and Fish Commission informing him that he had been turned in for illegally shooting hens during a pheasant hunting trip and his Nebraska hunting privileges had been permanently revoked. Distressed at this news, he contacted his good friend, Matt Rigoni, with whom he had been on the hunting trip. Mr Rigoni told my dad he had also received one of the letters. My father stewed and simmered at this for several weeks until he received a Christmas card from Mr. Rigoni. In the card was a photograph of Mr. Rigoni in a Nebraska game warden’s uniform, wishing my dad a “Merry Christmas.” At that moment, my dad knew he had been “had.” The silver lining in all that (aside from the joy of seeing someone get the best of my dad) was that he was able to enjoy more Nebraska hunting trips.
So, today, it’s okay to be a little suspicious of anything anyone tells you, or of anything you may read. Have a laugh, today especially. If you can’t find anything else to laugh at, just do what I do and look in a mirror. Keep smiling and keep laughing, here on the Sunny Side.