I have to admit, I like a good practical joke, like my dad, once in a while. But it doesn’t always feel so great when you are on the receiving end. I hoped in this situation the person would get a kick out of having fun at his expense.
First, I have to back up. Months prior to his birthday, my husband and I were out to dinner with these good friends. I don’t remember how, but we got to talking about crazy dreams we had while sleeping. In the midst of swapping stories, he shared how he had this repeating dream about peeing into an old glass milk bottle. Like the kind you see in movies from the 1950’s, when the milkman actually delivered milk to your door.
I’m not sure why he shared this with us while we were out eating but he did. I knew immediately what I wanted to do for his next birthday. His next was a milestone birthday, the beginning of a new decade for him.
I have to thank my husband who helped me hunt down one of those old milk bottles. Not an easy task.
We were invited over for a private birthday celebration. I bought a nice card and wrote on and on about how this was a time to reflect back on his dreams, evaluate what he’d accomplished, and what dreams still needed to be realized. He was moved by my sincere birthday wishes.
I, on the other hand, was beside myself. The smile on my face wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction.
He opened the box and pulled out the bottle. You could see the confused look on his face. He needed a little push. I reminded him to remember his dreams. Sudden recognition shown in his eyes but instead of laughing (with me, because I was) he looked at his wife and accused her, “You told them?”
I blurted out, “You told us.”
Honestly, it was one of the funniest things I’ve done. He might not have thought so. But he was a good sport about it and we are still friends today. Hey, at least I was able to make it possible for one of his dreams to come true. (Names have been removed to protect the innocent. :-)