Loved, Not Fooled

April Fool’s Day is about catching people off-guard with surprises they never see coming. Like the prank pulled on residents of Sitka, Alaska on April 1, 1974. People woke up that morning to black smoke rising from the crater of Mt. Edgecumbe, a volcano just a few miles away that hadn’t erupted in nearly 800 years.

That morning, 911 was flooded with so many calls that the Coast Guard sent a helicopter to investigate. The source of the trouble, it turns out, was not lava or hot ash. No, somebody had hauled 70 tires to the crater, doused them in kerosene, and lit them on fire. That somebody was local prankster Oliver Bickar, who also spray-painted a message in the snow: 50-foot tall letters that spelled “April Fool.”

Most pranks are usually at someone else’s expense. They don’t accomplish much good – except for the people laughing, of course. Which got me to thinking: this April Fool’s Day, let’s surprise the people we love with something positive. Let’s catch them off guard with small acts of kindness they never see coming. Instead of a practical joke, hand-write a note of appreciation. Prepare their favorite meal. Surprise them with a spontaneous date night. Almost anything is a good idea. Just do something that makes your loved one feel loved instead of fooled.