LINDA JOHNSON
COMMENTARY
April Fool’s Day arrived earlier this week. I didn’t even need another prankster to trick me.
That isn’t completely unusual.
Most times, I am healthy all week and then become ill on a gorgeous sunshiny weekend. Or there are times I nurse my sick self adequately right up to the point where the illness gets unbearable on the doctor’s day off.
My brain and mouth sometimes play tricks. I excused myself once by saying that I had to go start dinner and that I was needed to go “cut up the kitchen.” What I meant to say was that I needed to cut up the chicken — but something got tangled in the translation between my brain and my mouth.
We have all had our ears play tricks on us — usually when talking spouse to spouse or parent to child. “Where are my keys?” can easily be heard as “We’re out of cheese.”
This week my eyes and brain conspired against me.
I went into the library Tuesday afternoon to do some work for the upcoming May book sale. Librarian Ty Henderson was at the reference desk. I stared at him. Something seemed different. Was it his beard or lack of beard? No, Ty didn’t have a beard. I thought and thought and thought and convinced myself that Ty did not have a beard last time I had seen him. It was his clothing.
Ty’s usual Tuesday attire includes a tie. He’s worn polo or T-shirts on weekends. He wore a long sleeve shirt with a placket opening and I could see a white T-shirt underneath the open neck. That was what was different. His attire.
Later, perusing a social website, I saw his comment about his missing beard. Gotcha.
Later in the week, I called the library and asked for Ty. The answering voice replied, “This is Ty.”
He fooled me twice in one week. The missing beard must have changed the resonance of his voice.
Ty’s not pulling fast ones on me.
It’s my own eyes and ears.
About the Author