The country’s major candy manufacturers have introduced left- and right-handed candy bars. For years, left-handed people have been opening candy bars at the wrong end, and as a result they are eating against the “chocolate flow” on the candy bars’ surfaces. This, of course, affects the taste of the chocolate. Look for the new candy bars marked with L or R (the R appears within a circle) on store shelves now.
You probably know that we’re just having a little fun here, and you’ve probably also realized today’s date.
Happy April Fools’ Day!
Beware of fake stories in the paper, on cable news and on the Internet, because this certainly is not the only little prank you’ll encounter today.
The custom of setting aside a day for playing harmless pranks is old and far-reaching. Some precursors of April Fools’ Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria, the Holi festival of India and the Medieval Feast of Fools. There’s even a prank in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales when a fox tricks the vain Chanticleer.
In places like Ireland and Scotland, the pranks often involve a letter and a fool’s errand. In France, Belgium and French-speaking parts of Canada, the pranks often center on paper fish. Yes, paper fish. In the UK, and in countries that have traditions deriving from the UK, most joking ends at midday. And anyone playing a joke after midday is the “April fool” themselves.
On April Fools’ Day, even large corporations sometimes play elaborate practical jokes. In one famous prank from 1957, the BBC broadcast a film in their Panorama current-affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly grown spaghetti from trees. The BBC was flooded with requests from viewers wanting to purchase spaghetti plants, forcing the company to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day.
Let’s get serious for a moment, though, and think about the freedom of just having a little fun now and then. After all, Fun is one of the 7 F’s of True Success that we encourage everyone to incorporate into their day-to-day. Having fun is necessary for a balanced life of enjoyment and success in and out of the office.
Let today’s little jokes serve as a reminder to you about the importance of having fun and looking for life’s lighthearted moments. Make some fun happen yourself! Do it today, and make more time for fun in the days ahead.
In the long run, these moments of enjoyment and joy will help you do what you do better.