Bamboozled and Hoodwinked!

"Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, shame on me."

Proverb

April Fool's Day can be a time filled with playful pranks amongst friends. It can also be a day reminding us of all of the times we have been foolish or the recipient of deception. While maintaining an essence of innocence, one can be gullible. In our ability to see the good in people, and the desire to be kind, too often we are led into fraudulence. 

With a willingness to believe in people, we often times allow credit to a person where it is not deserved. We tell ourselves stories portraying people learning lessons and deserving a second chance. We may regard a trickster as having grown older and wiser and surely would not bamboozle again. As on honest human, we may find it difficult to believe anyone could be so disingenuous. 

We are less likely to be hoodwinked if we listen to our gut churning with discomfort or our heart clenching with suspicion. Being careful with the self has nothing to do with disrespect. It is a safeguard of evaluation of what just doesn't seem right. When things simply don't add up, it is time to recalibrate with careful reassessment to avoid being fooled.