Two years ago, my cousin Shania (then 11), pulled one delicious, delicious prank: She discretely whispered to our server that it was my mom’s birthday, and at the end of our meal, half a dozen waiters plopped a chocolate fudge cake in front of us and serenaded Mom with a rousing rendition of “Happy birthday.”

At first, we all felt anxious—this had to be going to the wrong table! There’s a mixup! We’re going to get in trouble! We can’t just accept free cake when it isn’t our birthday!

But then, we collectively realized: Why not just go with it? For this one day, why not turn this ordinary afternoon into a huge celebration, transforming it from humdrum weekday to moment we’ll never forget?

Shania didn’t realize it at the time, but she taught us all a great lesson: Leave a little room for fun in your life.

This week, why not let a little fun into your life? Accept the free cake. Turn a Monday into a party. Crank up the music and dance for no reason. There’s enough time in life to be serious and play by the rules.

PS—If you want to try that cake pictured above, visit CollegiateCook.com. (It’s filled with Nutella! NUTELLA!)