Shari Della Penna
  • Home
  • About
    • My family
    • My work
    • My favorites
    • FAQ's
  • Contact
  • Blog

"Small acts of kindness can change and humanise our world."
   Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks 1948-2020
   ​Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, 1991-2020
                         Author, Advocate, Advisor

Who’s an April Fool?

4/2/2019

0 Comments

 
It’s not April Fools’ Day today,
but tomorrow!
    Then Grandpa turned red,
    and he gave out a roar.
    he sped through the kitchen 
    and dashed out the door!
Grandma just smiled
as she pulled up a stool.
She nibbled his toast 
and she called, . . . “April Fool!”
                                                        from April Foolishness
                                                            by Teresa Bateman
                                     Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
                                           Albert Whitman & Company, 2004

    We never did April Fools’ Day up big. Just the usual, “Your shoe’s untied!” or “You buttoned your shirt crooked.” Once, I tried to convince my mom we had a day off from school, teacher’s work day, or something. That didn’t go very far. Mom knew what day it was.
    Some of my friends got really into the practical jokes. The elaborate set-up, the delicate follow-through, and the sometimes hilarious result never seemed to pan out for me. I do like a good laugh, though. 
    No one knows for sure, but April Fools’ Day may have started loooong ago with the Roman tradition of Hilaria. It was celebrated the day after the vernal equinox, when the day is just a shade longer than the night (around March 20). But then there’s the Julian/Gregorian calendar correction, so lots of dates moved a little to the north. Games, plays, and masquerades were common during Hilaria..
    Then, in the late 1600s, so many fools traveled to the Tower of London to watch a made up ceremony they called “washing of the lions,” that the April 2, 1598, edition of a local newspaper had to debunk the hoax. They also publicly mocked those who fell for it.
    On the evening of April 1, 1957, thousands of British families tuned in to a current events show to watch a happy Swiss family harvesting their prized spaghetti trees. The spaghetti was a perfect al dente and hung loosely from the branches. Of course, the four-minute “news” segment was an intricate April Fools’ Day hoax. It was devised by a freelance cameraman and produced for a mere 100 pounds.
    These days it’s harder to tell news from foolishness. Lots of the news is foolish but, lots more is downright dangerous.
    First we get Mexico to pay for a border wall, now we don’t. 
    First we un-fund the Special Olympics. Then uproar ensues and reason prevails. Now we don’t. 
    First we un-ban drilling in vast areas of the Arctic and dozens of canyons in the Atlantic Ocean (sharp intake of breath). Then reason speaks to legal opinion (and common sense). Now the ban holds. No drilling (collective sigh of relief).
    Now we unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the legitimate and diplomatic capital of Israel. Now we unilaterally declare the Golan Heights an area completely under Israeli control. Are we now encouraging antagonism and fear? Are we now de-stabilizing an already delicate part of the world? In the name of self-righteousness? Even if those events seem like the right thing to do, timing is everything. Consideration of our allies is everything else.
    I say “we” and “our” because we are all in this scary nightmare together. 
    Now we’re condemning The Affordable Care Act (because of its Obamacare nickname?) How many people will be hurt because of that senseless pandering to insurance companies? 
    Now we’re closing the border with Mexico. Really? How many companies will lose money and workers? How many people will be hurt, economically, physically, or otherwise?
    And ending foreign aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador? Can he even do that? 
    I am not making light of these statements and developments. Some of them are true and probably lasting, with consequences, intended or not. Some will be reversed as the voices of justice, reason, and common sense speak up.
    Gullibility is aligned with ignorance. Foolishness is closely akin to vulnerability. We owe ourselves, our families, our nation, and our Mother Earth to learn as best as we can what is real, what is just a bunch of hot air, and what is truly dangerous. 
    Then we need to act.
                                                    -—stay curious! (and brave)
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

         I'm a children's writer and poet intent on observing the world and nurturing those I find in my small space .

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly