THIS YEAR, THE JOKE'S ON US

 OCTOBER FOOL'S DAY

 

    

    This year, with the pandemic still in full action, there isn't the same level of fooling around on October's Fool's Day. Regardless, there is still room to share some laughs with everyone, especially in a time like this with COVID-19, the 2020 election, and human rights movements all on everyone's mind. 

    I think the best laughs I've shared have always been with friends. Nothing beats a silly adventure with the people you consider "chosen family." I think it's because you have so many chances to take advantage of inside jokes, relationship histories, and just overall goofy personalities. There was one time where I was at a dinner party with some friends, of course, pre-COVID era. When everyone arrived, the dinner was set and we were going to have a great dinner together. It was only until after we were a few minutes into eating, one of my friends noticed something wrong with the plates.

    "Are we eating on frisbees?" she asked. We all looked down and noticed that some of the plates were in fact frisbees. My friend, who was hosting the dinner, calmly said, "I broke some plates today and those are all I had." We all burst into laughter. It was a sweet idea that my friend wanted to make sure everyone had a space to eat food with dignity, but I think her execution was probably a little non-traditional.

    "You could've asked us to buy paper plates along the way," someone suggested in chuckles. "You guys had texted me that you were already entering the building there was no time," the host said. "How did you break the plates then?" Another one asked. Out of embarrassment or bashfulness, my friend who was hosting looked over to her roommate, another good friend of mine. "She was playing with the dog and knocked down some of the plates...when she threw a frisbee." 

    We all laugh again. Some because our friend decided it was a good idea to replace the plates with the very thing that broke them, and others because we didn't know why playing frisbee with a dog inside a small apartment would ever be considered a good idea. In the end, my friend assured everyone she cleaned the frisbees thoroughly before serving the food and the dog hadn't touched it. Looking back at the story, it really warms my heart now when I'm in a remote environment because of COVID-19. Laughing and smiling are so important during a time of uncertainty and hardship. Have you laughed today? If you haven't, go call a friend, a family member, and share some jokes and funny stories together.