I just read a long blog post about the origins of April Fools Day, and it didn't say a thing about the explanation for the day that I had heard and liked best. So here it is. I'm not sure it's true, but it's the one I like the best.

In the middle ages, much like today, everyone was real concerned with what people thought of them. So in every little town throughout Europe, the baker did his best to just act like a normal baker, the blacksmith acted like a respectable blacksmith, etc. No questioning the status quo. No funny stuff.

But just about every town also had at least one "village idiot." Idiot or not, their job seemed to be to do whatever the hell they wanted — sing in the streets, cause a scene for no reason, whatever. These citizens were treated like outsiders.

For 364 days a year, anyway.

At some point, people started to realize that, crazy or not, these "idiots" seemed to be happier, freer, more expressive and more creative than they allowed themselves to be.

So on April 1st, everyone gave themselves permission to act like the village idiot, doing whatever they felt like without worrying about what people would think. It was a powerful break from the rules and expectations the villagers lived under every day, and you can still find remote town squares filled with people on April 1st, screaming, juggling chickens, talking to themselves... playing the part of the village idiot for a day for the betterment of their souls.

True or not, I think this explanation for April Fools Day is great. At Meyer & Wallis, we're all about creativity. You can tell the second you step off the elevator that we exist to feel free to be as creative as we can be. But while our ability to think beyond traditional models and approaches has made us one of the top advertising agencies around, it's our ability to execute to a well-defined brand strategy that truly sets us apart from the rest. Hence, our motto: Think inside the circle.

So even though we can act like a bunch of village idiots at times, there's a method to our madness that consistently pays off for our clients. And we like it that way.

So take some time today to act like a fool today. You just might enjoy it. Happy late April Fool's Day, from Meyer & Wallis!