Tag Archives: dia de los inocentes

Apr5

Facebook, Thanks For The Memory

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Facebook, Thanks For The Memory

Flash back to when I once taught Secundaria, where we had a lively discussion about the similarities between April Fool’s Day and Dia De Los Inocentes. The students were all quite amused and were happily thinking about enjoying two of these “fun” days every year.

I wrote out their homework on the board, encouraging them to read the directions carefully. The directions were very simple. “This is your homework for today. One of the questions is a joke. You do not have to answer it. You must answer only three of the questions.”

Question 1. “On what day do we celebrate April Fool’s Day?”

Question 2 “On what day do we celebrate Dia De Los Inocentes?”

Question 3 “Do you like jokes?”

Question 4 “What have you learned about April Fool’s Day? Write a 1,000,00 word essay about April Fool’s Day. Be sure that your grammar and punctuation are perfect. Do not make any spelling mistakes. Submit this assignment in a purple binder and be sure that all the pages your assignment is written on are green and yellow.”

It was interesting how they followed??? the directions.

That night my inbox was flooded with emails. “My printer doesn’t have enough ink. My mother wants to know where to buy a purple binder. The papaleria doesn’t have green paper. Is blue okay?”

There were lots more but I think you get the idea.

The next day, two girls proudly handed in their three sentences while the remainder of the class taunted them for not doing their homework. I merely smiled. The rest of the class still didn’t get it until I asked one of the girls to explain.

It’s important to follow directions.

Mar14

SMILE! LAUGH!

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SMILE! LAUGH!

Let’s take a break from politics. Let’s take a break from airline disasters. Let’s take a break from deadly tornados, blizzards and erupting volcanos. Let’s take a break from all the fear-mongering on social media. Let’s talk humor instead.

Years ago in another lifetime when I had a motivational consulting business, I was asked to do a workshop which I then called Healing With Humor. The first time I did this, it was at a luncheon for seniors. I didn’t want to bore them with all the scientific evidence that supports the theory that laughter really is a wonderful medicine for what ails you, whether it be an emotional or a physical hurt.

Instead I got them actively discovering this on their own. Blowing bubbles and playing with silly putty were two of the most popular activities. Puppets, balloons, jacks……….memories of childhood and happy times surfaced. While children laugh approximately 300 times a day, adults merely smile about 20 times a day.

Here in Mexico we have Dia De Los Inocentes on December 28th, equivalent to April Fool’s Day elsewhere. The history here is a rather solemn one as it dates back to when King Herod decreed that all children in Bethlehem under the age of two were to be killed. This would ensure that the predicted Messiah, the future king of Israel, would be killed. So why the jokes and pranks on December 28th? This also dates back to the tricks parents had to use to protect their children and thus deceive Herod’s persecutors.

Now let’s turn to April Fool’s Day, observed on April 1st. This day is celebrated in different ways in different countries. A common belief is that it dates back to ancient Roman festivals or medieval celebrations. The premise is the same as Dia De Los Inocentes……….jokes and harmless pranks.

We’re only halfway through March, but I think we can all use a good dose of humor right about now.

Remember to SMILE. Remember to LAUGH. Do this EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE.

LAUGHING isn’t just for kids. LAUGHING is for EVERYONE!