I Am Tricky, Hear me Roar

My favorite holiday of the year is Halloween. I love the candy, the costumes, the pumpkins - all of it. It's the best.

My 2nd favorite holiday may be St. Patrick's Day. I'm not sure it used to be my 2nd favorite. I mean, it's great and all. I have Irish heritage. I've been to Ireland. I like green beer and Guiness and Irish Coffee. Goofy green clothes and sunglasses and beads. It's all good.

But then last year I became part of an alter-ego. I say "part" because I am not him alone.

Tricky is a leprechaun. A particularly troublesome one who likes to create havoc and mischief in Mrs. Harrison's Kindergarten Class. Last year I was recruited to help Tricky with his work. I arrived at the school at 6:00 am (Starbucks in hand for me, and the other half of Tricky, mrs. Harrison). Tricky then proceeded to do all kinds of damage. He turned the toilet water green. He turned the milk green. He left green little leprechaun footprints all over when he got into the finger paint. He left little pots of gold for each child. He vandalized the dry erase board with catchy little things like "Tricky Wuz Here". He turned all the chairs over and rearranged pretty much everything. I have never had so much fun in my life.

And then? I got to bring Chase back to school and see the kids responding to Tricky's havoc. Ab.So.Lute.Ly. Priceless.

Little did I know that Tricky had also been across the courtyard in Mrs. Kasper's first grade class. You see, Mrs. Kasper's daughter Olivia had been in mrs. harrison's class the year before Chase was. So the Tricky tradition continued and grew.

So this year I get to do double Tricky duty. Tricky already sent green pencils to the teachers that say "Tricky Wuz here!" Today, Tricky sent letters to both classes, daring them to catch him and hinting at the mass chaos he's going to bring on Thursday.

This year Tricky is replacing all of the color posters on the walls with green ones. He's replacing all of the desk name tags with ones that say "Tricky". he's even going to replace the American Flag with a St. Patrick's Day one (but just for the one day.) And his little paint footprints may extend outside this year, leading from one class to the other.

Being Tricky is one of those weird little experiences that you never dream you will have when you have kids. But to anyone out there who isn't Tricky: be your own Leprechaun. Finf some kids somewhere and make their day.

Lord knows only too soon we grow up and have to deal with Taxes and Tsunamis and Nuclear Meltdowns. Right down the road is safe sex and drugs and alcohol.

But for now - for just one day - they can BELIEVE. They can believe that there really are Leprechauns who play tricks on you and leave you little treats and defy caputure year after year after year.

We can all be Tricky to someone. So get out there and turn some toilet water green!