Tomorrow is April Fools, the most underrated holiday. Not because of the pranks, but the grounding.
When you keep in mind it’s Fools’ Day, you have a better chance of recognizing the pranks as they happen. Avoiding getting fooled feels good, but it’s a false comfort.
We convince ourselves we’re not fools all year long. We’re on top of our game! No one sees us that way! But everyone has to look foolish at some point. As Dylan put it, “Even the president of the United States/Sometimes has to stand naked”. Learning anything, even for an expert, requires a moment of confusion — foolishness.
Like nakedness, you can try to hide foolishness out of sight. But attempts at hiding inevitably end like trying to push a beach ball underwater. Eventually, it’s going to squirm out of your grasp, and pop up somewhere uncontrollable.
The arrogant fool, who thinks they’ve beaten the game, gets the most humiliated when their foolishness is exposed. Meanwhile, the humble fool, who accepts their foolishness, can barely keep up with all the success that acceptance brings. Free from the constraints of what other people think, they’re busy learning new things and figuring out what they truly want (which is the hardest thing in life to do).
I’m writing this as much for me as for you. I’m not as accepting of looking foolish as I could be.
Back in November, I paused publishing to work on an exciting idea for a new multimedia project, intending to launch on New Years’ Day. New Years turned out to be too soon, so I rescheduled for the first of April. I’m still not ready to launch — it’s such a cool idea, it keeps growing! But at the risk of looking foolish, I’ve got to explain my absence and get back to a regular schedule (which for now will be monthly).
This year, I’m making a Fools’ Day Resolution, to take myself less seriously. I hope to have a great day, full of surprises and laughs.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Embrace the Fool.
