Admit it. We have all played a joke on family, friends, or coworkers on April Fools Day. While some of us are not willing to admit it, the prankster fun can be a real stress relief and provide a little fun for all involved, even those being pranked. 

If you don’t fall into the prankster category, you may find that when something a bit embarrassing happens, we can greet memories of the event with a little humor and even share them with others.  So, in an effort to keep those smiles on reader's faces and to provide a little levity in these darker days, we offer you a few stories from April’s Fools.

The Pranksters

“We wanted to play a joke on our boss in Colorado.  When she was away at a conference, we put her desk at a slant so that when she placed a pen or other item on it, everything rolled downhill.  We also put all the drawers in upside down with comic faces on pieces of paper so they would stare at her as all of her desk items fell to the floor.  We still laugh about it.”

“I wanted to play an April Fools joke on my boss so as I walked by him one day I said ‘your shoe is untied.’ It was really harmless, just a little joke.  That day he called me into his office and had paperwork in front of him and he said, ‘so you like to play jokes, huh… well, you are fired.’  I couldn’t believe it.  I was completely shocked.  I couldn’t breathe.  Then he said, ‘April Fools!’  I have never again played an April Fools trick.”

“I was pranked by my daughter who called me from Louisiana and told me her husband, (whom I loved), had wronged her and that I needed to help her right away.  I was so mad with him and so anxious for my daughter I was literally packing my bag while on the phone.  When she realized how upset I had become she said, APRIL FOOLS.” 

The Embarrassing Moments

“One of my staff members was 9 months pregnant and sent me a text message at 4 am and said she was having contractions.  At 8 am she sent a message saying she was in the hospital with contractions.  At 10 am I told all of our staff department directors that our well known staff member was in labor.  As soon as I finished telling everyone and they all expressed both happiness and concern in walked our manager, still pregnant.”

Visitors to the Nature Center were met with an eyeful one day as they were speaking to a staff member. The employee was telling the guests all about a specific snake who lives at the Center and while there the snake bit his ear and wouldn’t let go. The staff member, while unharmed, had to speak with the museum guests with a snake dangling from his ear until he could find help.

“I had an embarrassing moment once.  It was my birthday and my friend came to visit me.  He insisted that we go to San Francisco where we then spent the next four boring hours.  It was really bad.  I was so bored I finally said ‘take me home’ and then when we got there I said ‘I have seen enough of you for one day.’  I opened the door to my house where I heard a large group of people yell ‘SURPRISE.’  I was really embarrassed and shocked.”

“I had a very embarrassing moment in front of my students one day.  I was in a meeting with a lot of kids and I tripped over a chair and fell on my face in front of all of them.  They all rushed to my side and asked if I was okay.  I just felt utterly embarrassed.”