"Christmas is Here" the "Is It True?" Series Episode Forty

Welcome to Honor Your Truth

The “Is It True?” Series Episode Forty

“Christmas is here”

No, it’s not silly! Happy April Fools Day! What a weird holiday and to think I was almost born on it. I waited because things were weird enough without adding that to the mix. No one seems to know exactly when or why this semi-holiday was created. I did some research. It seems there was a calendar switch years and years ago…. Julian to Gregorian, whatever that is. Those people who couldn’t get with the program and use the new calendar were labeled as fools. Another possible origin is that May1 was determined the day of planting. Those who screwed up and planted on April1 were labeled as fools also. It has obviously evolved into a day saved for hoaxes and pranks.

I read that Burger King ran an ad for a left-handed whopper. The condiments were supposedly designed to drip out of the right side. People actually asked for this new “Lefty Burger”, as well as, asking for the “old, classic” burger instead. A TV show ran a special about “Spaghetti Trees”. They talked about how a certain pest called the spaghetti weevil had finally been eradicated. Many people contacted the TV station inquiring where they might learn about cultivating said spaghetti trees. I read about flying penguins, smell emitting TV’s, the tower of Pisa finally falling over, and water on Mars.

I personally experienced a April Fools prank that wasn’t even meant to be a prank. I was working at a café and the closing server from the night before had filled the sugar shakers with salt. She did a phenomenal job filling shakers for every one of the 50 tables. I felt it was a fairly elaborate scheme, but it turned out that she didn’t really mean to do it. It was a mistake. As I was serving coffee the next morning, people kept complaining about the coffee. I drink mine black so I thought they were crazy. I couldn’t taste anything wrong with it until someone let me drink theirs. We finally figured out it was the “sugar”, which was actually salt.

This reminds me of a busser whom I suspected was drinking on the job. He repeatedly maintained that he was not, in fact, ever drunk at work. Eventually, I was left resorting to covert tactics. When he wasn’t looking, I smelt the cup that he drank out of everyday to be sure. He would always put it off to the side in this one particular corner behind the sink. It smelled like straight alcohol. I quickly substituted it with orange juice and put it back. I kept myself busy in the area until he came around to take a sip out of it. You should have seen his face....it shocked him so much he spit it out in the sink. He gave me no choice but to let him go. He was otherwise a great employee so it was heartbreaking. He never really did get honest.

Honesty is the best policy. However, I learned differently. White lies of varying degrees were commonplace in our house. They were kind of a given, expected. Sometimes, “you just had to”. Sometimes “there is no other choice”. Consequently, I have the hardest time saying no. I simply did not learn it as an option. Making up an excuse, a story, even just a goofy reason was “necessary”. I am uncomfortable if I don’t explain saying “NO”. Recently, I learned that “NO is a complete sentence”. I have said NO over this past year and sat with the feelings. What I have noticed is that while it may take a day, a week, or even longer, I have never, and I mean NEVER regretted saying NO. Saying NO does come with good and bad consequences if you want to call them that, but saying yes only offers the illusion of control. Saying yes may seem safer, nicer, and all those things. It may seem as though this assures me that I will be pain-free.....that I won’t lose something I have or not get something that I want…..but at what price? The price has become too high for me anymore. I’m not willing to pay it. I must tell the truth. Is it yes? Is it no? I Honor My Truth

Debra Hadraba
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