I recently saw a prank where a man filmed himself asking his wife for a divorce. He said he was filming for legal purposes. Her response was not at all what he expected.

Instead of breaking down into tears, or begging him to stay, or showing some sense of shock, the wife became sarcastic, “pretending” to be upset. She then feigned despair over how she was going to spend all her new-found alimony and child support and showed excitement at the prospect of finding new lovers.

She was unmoved by his prank, and I would say the prank backfired big time. But my question is, what kind of person thinks it’s funny to “jokingly” ask for a divorce?

Funny not funny

I chose this question for today purposefully as it’s April first, the day known for pranks. I agree that was a terrible prank and you could say, it serves him right for taking something as serious as his marriage and pretending it was over. I think he crossed the line with his prank, but he obviously thought it would be funny.

I think the wife’s reaction is priceless, whether she knew it was a prank or not. If she did, then she was (hopefully) pranking him back. If she didn’t, well, these two clearly have some talking to do.

April Fool’s pranks are fun as long as no one gets hurt – physically or emotionally. Be careful what you wish for.

Help! I’m so lonely I don’t know what to do. I moved from my very small town because I needed to stretch my wings and have new adventures, meet new people, etc. But big cities are incredibly lonely when you don’t know anyone.

I’m shy so it’s hard for me to meet anyone. I think my biggest problem Is that I live alone and work from home. What do you suggest?

Lonely

You hit the nail on the head, girl. How can you possibly meet anyone when you don’t leave your house? You need to be around people to meet people.

Let’s start with your housing – would you be able to live with a roommate? For some people that’s just too intrusive. Only you can decide that. But if you could handle it, it would be a great way to meet people.

Let’s look at your job – it may be great, but it’s keeping you holed up, alone, feeling lonely and trapped. That’s not worth it. Is it possible to work for the same company in the same capacity but in an office where you can be around other people? If not, would you entertain the idea of looking for a more social job in another company?

What about your free time? Do you look for things to do with other people? For example, are you outdoorsy? Would you join a group going on a walk in the woods? Do you do any exercise classes, like Pilates or yoga or CrossFit? A gym is a great place to meet people. Do you play tennis or pickleball? Signing up at a court is another great way to meet people if you get yourself on a roster.

Spring is desperately trying to break through the crust of winter. Don’t stay home. Put yourself out there. Also, invite your friends from your hometown to come and visit and take them out to do fun things. You’re bound to meet more people your age that way.

FEEDBACK Regarding rude friends, incapable of RSVP-ing (Dec. 31):

Reader – “I’m in my late 70s and have no sympathy with the complaint about friends not responding to emailed invitations. I believe that email is the problem. With seniors, you need to figure out their preferred communication mode (i.e. mail, telephone, text or email). Email was initially an exciting way to communicate with friends, however, the novelty is long gone. Like many my age, I never learned to type.

“I get more than 85 emails daily; my joke is everyone in Canada emails me. I often miss the ones I want to receive. Despite rigorously unsubscribing, the barrage continues.  Years ago, while cleaning out old emails, I discovered an invitation to a former roommate's second wedding 10 years previously.

“I believe that due to the overwhelming number of emails one receives, email has become an extremely inefficient method of communication and imposes an undue burden on the recipient.”