This clip certainly brought back a few memories from my youth.  Wow, the things we experimented in the spirit of exploration or in respond to a dare.  And of course you didn’t quit until you felt a surge of electricity.  EEEEEYAAA!!

I heard a talk over the weekend where the analogy of a toddler learning to walk was used.   The father of the toddler expected him to fall…and fall he did.  Again and again and again.  But the toddler kept getting back up and trying again and getting better.  OF COURSE the father did not chastise the toddler for falling…he did not berate, belittle or criticize him in any way.  Instead what did the father do…. encouraged, coached and cheered the toddler on.

It’s a great way to think about things in the adult context as well.  People are always learning and learning always involves falling or failing to some degree or another. Or at least they should be.

There are so very many things I have never done before.  And now the pace of life is moving quicker than ever and I am moving slower and I may not want to fail or fall…but I do…. a lot.

But the problem isn’t in my failing or falling…it’s in my fear and hesitancy of doing so.  It’s been said that the person who isn’t failing much, isn’t trying much, learning much, living  much or becoming much.   To accelerate our growth rate we might consider accelerating our falling down rate….and getting back up rate.  We need to not just experiment more….but have more fun as we experiment.

We don’t have to grab onto an electric fence to feel a surge of excitement as try something new… and heck bring friends to do the double dares and double the fun.

Kirk out

Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool’s Day, sometimes called All Fool’s Day, is not totally clear. It is not like Halloween, where despite an interesting history, most people just put on Halloween costumes, get candy, and leave it at that. There really wasn’t a “first April Fool’s Day” that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.

The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved to January 1.

However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as “fools” by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on “fools errands” or were made the butt of other practical jokes.

This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool’s Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.

In Scotland, for example, April Fool’s Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the “kick me” sign can be traced to this observance.

In France and several other European countries, April 1 is often referred to as April Fish. The prank is to stick a paper fish on the back of another person without being noticed.

Mexico’s counterpart of April Fool’s Day is actually observed on December 28. Originally, the day was a sad remembrance of the slaughter of the innocent children by King Herod. It eventually evolved into a lighter commemoration involving pranks and trickery.

Pranks performed on April Fool’s Day range from the simple, (such as saying, “Your shoe’s untied, or I accidentally stepped on your glasses!), to the elaborate. Setting a roommate’s alarm clock back an hour is a common gag. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, “April Fool!”

Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool’s Day. Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes are played on friends or relatives that last the entire day. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool’s Day was a fairly detailed documentary about “spaghetti farmers” and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees. And let’s not forget the IRS socks us with our online tax software deadline in April. Coincidence? You decide!

April Fool’s Day is a “for-fun-only” observance. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their “significant other” out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It’s simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!

http://wilstar.com/holidays/aprilfool.htm

post from Lessons Learned In Life