April is a fine time to be Foolish. And by no means the only time. Our April Fool's Day is a faint echo of the medieval Feast of Fools, where all conventions were given a week off and the normal order was turned upside down. Masters and slaves traded places, dignitaries were ridiculed, and everybody got a license to act out rebellious feelings. And that medieval week of social anarchy was itself was no doubt a descendant of a much older Roman holiday. Turning things upside down once in a while is an age- old way of maintaining balance.

The court jester had a similar function - lightening up systems that were otherwise in danger of taking themselves too seriously. The Jester is the spirit of spontaneity, the wild card, the natural intuitive, the wise fool. It is the needed naivete that announces that the emperor has no clothes.

Put on the silly hat when the situation calls for its special kind of smartness:

• When conventional wisdom needs to be challenged.
• When you're stuck, and exaggerating the situation or turning it upside down could yield some interesting insights.
• When the atmosphere in the office or the meeting is fraught with pent-up hostility - find the humor in the situation and ease the tension with laughter.
• When you sense that you are putting too much energy into defending some position or practice.

Above all, the Jester is a source of fresh energy and fresh ideas. Give this goofy headgear a place in your hat wardrobe, and you'll be rewarded with freedom, innovation, and the wisdom that comes from being a wild card.

1. Make mundane tasks a spirtual practice. Elevate dishwashing, commuting to work, laundry folding, even cat box cleaning -- any task -- as if doing so brings you closer to the divine.
2. Take yourself on a jester date once a week. Plan an activity that is sure to feed your inner fool (hint: something that is pleasurable and makes you feel alive!).
3. Reduce stress by exaggerating it. Ask "What is the worst thing that could happen?" Notice -- usually -- the world doesn't come to a screeching halt (and don't forget to laugh).
4. Celebrate your own feast of fools--switch roles with someone for the day.
5. Eat one meal backwards (starting with dessert).
6. Remember The Art of Possibility Rule Number 6: Don't take yourself so @#$%^! seriously!
7. Hone your Jester skills by reading one email a day in 5 different & dramatic ways. Each time read it using one of the following techniques: exaggeration, physical humor, double entendre, sarcasm, deadpan.
8. When a problem rears its ugly head, play with it or play a trick on it.
9. Ask a silly question.
10. Surpise us.

• Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?
• If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?
• If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?
• Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?
• Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?
• Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?
• Why do "tug" boats push their barges?
• Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" when we are already there?
• Why are they called "stands" when they are made for sitting?
• Why is it call "after dark" when it really is "after light"?
• Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?
• Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?
• Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?
• Why do we park on a "driveway" and drive on a "parkway"?
• If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?
• If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
• Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?
• Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?
• Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

If you'd like to hook up, you can either send an email to laura@onehatatatime.com, or look for an info flyer on the communication bulletin board at the conference. Hope to see you there!