One of the part time jobs I held while an undergrad was working for Texas Pardons and Paroles. It was basically a data entry position and possibly the best part time gig I’ve ever had. Not because of what I did–the details aren’t important right now–but because of the shift. I worked Friday and Saturday night from 7 PM to 7 AM. Mondays could be hard, but working two days a week was pretty awesome.

I worked with two other people throughout the night, and, since we had a good deal of down time, we enjoyed talking to each other and listening to the radio (this was before smart phones). We had to switch stations often, though, because over the course of twelve hours, you are bound to hear the same songs close to a dozen times. Talk radio was often more compelling.

On one night, the DJ was running a “contest” to set a listener up with her twin sister. She told an elaborate story about how her sister never had time to explore the dating scene and she was willing to go on a blind date. So, the DJ would be taking calls and interviewing people in order to find a good match. Then her sister would report back the details of the date.

Because my coworkers knew I was single, with very little in the way of prospects, they thought I should call. I protested for a while, threw around a few excuses and eventually decided that I would call once, hoping to get a busy signal. When the DJ actually answered, I found that I was a little excited to talk to her. I didn’t think anything would come of it, but I enjoyed answering her questions and felt like I made a decent enough impression. It was a little confidence booster that I was in the running with two other guys.

She took my number and said she would be revealing her determination on air within the hour. My coworkers were openly showing their excitement while I kept mine inside. In part, I didn’t want to seem like I cared. In part, I was terrified that she might actually pick me.

When it was time for the big reveal, the DJ built the suspense for a few more minutes before announcing that she didn’t have a twin sister.

April Fools everybody. Ha, ha, ha.

Of course, I laughed it off outwardly. And on the inside, I just felt confused and a little betrayed. Probably what got to me the most was that I felt cheated by the overnight schedule. To me, it was just really late on March 31st. April didn’t start until after my shift ended and I was able to get a few ours of sleep.

That’s what I told myself at least. That’s what I told my coworkers who thought it was the funniest thing to happen all year, who wouldn’t let a week go by without reminding me about it.

The truth is, I was suckered. I was a sucker. I had allowed myself to have a little hope about something that wasn’t even that important to me. And when that was gone, I felt cheated.

These situations can make us jaded. They can turn us into cynical folk who don’t want to believe in sincerity or earnestness because we don’t want to be seen as naive. We don’t want to be the one to appear foolish.

I still lean in this direction, but I try to live more in the land of skeptical. I try to find ways to be more earnest and genuine when I can because I know that’s where joy comes from, that’s where fulfillment is found. It’s tough though, especially when we worry so much about what other people will think.

Just for the record, I don’t blame my own skepticism on the DJ. That was just one experience in a sea of them.

In the spirit of April Fools, a day I really could not care much less about, here are a few “pranks” I found entertaining.

• Smartbox by Inbox: the mailbox of tomorrow, today

• Microsoft launches MS-DOS Mobile for Lumia smartphones

• When specialization starts to pay off (and the danger of getting it wrong)

• Gmail Tap (An old one, but still one of my favorites from Google)