For One Night Only: Robin Goodfellow and the Lords of Misrule!

                As we approach Memorial Day, there are many different topics I could cover in this blog. I mean, after all, it’s a day that we honor the sacrifice of all those who have defended our country. It’s the unofficial start of summer. It’s the first day off many of us are getting in several months. It’s the reminder that you have done nothing to prepare for swimsuit season, and that bright yellow ball in the sky is not God’s anger, but rather the sun. I’m going to use this opportunity to discuss how we can solve the European Debt Crisis.

            Just kidding. I’m actually going to keep this somewhat short… you all want to get to your weekend and don’t want to read something long. (Or are reading this on Monday, and don’t want to be reminded that your weekend is past.) I’m actually going to talk about something that was big in England back in “the day”. (and if you have followed this blog, you know that when I mean back in “the day” I mean way back before there were cars or the internet.)

            Shakespeare wrote several plays that were to be performed around the time of festivals, similar to what we are celebrating this weekend. Two of them were Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  They were meant to be performed around two different festivals, mind you, but each one had a character that represented my favorite concept around this time: The Lord of Misrule. The Lord of Misrule, in addition to being the awesomest name for a band in history, was a character that caused mischief throughout the festival, and reminded people not to take things to seriously. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the character of Puck, who was this play’s Lord of Misrule, actually addresses the audience and tells them to lighten up at the end.

            I once had a professor give me the ultimate compliment. He told me that I would go far due to my adherence to “the spirit of the law, not necessarily the letter…” That stuck with me. It also reminded me that most of the people who go far in life are the ones willing to cause a little bit of mischief, and don’t take things too seriously.

            Here’s to spreading some mischief wherever you go.