I Am Not April's Fool

 

We live in a world that marks certain days as sacred.
We honor birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, national tragedies, spiritual celebrations.
There are days we collectively hold close. And then there are the days that become sacred to us, personally. Days that shifted our lives deeply. The world may not know it, but we remember.

April 1st is one of those days for me.

Most people associate it with jokes, pranks, and foolery.... April Fool’s Day.
But for me, it’s the day my life hit a standstill.

On April 1st, 2018, I was shot in the chest during an attempted armed robbery.
The bullet paralyzed my arm. I was a hairstylist at the time. My hands were my livelihood. My creative expression. My freedom. My survival. And in an instant, tall of that was taken from me.

What followed was a long, painful, and isolating season. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But it also became one of the most profound seasons of my life. I met parts of myself I didn’t know existed. I was reintroduced to my spirit in a way only pain can offer.

So no, I don’t celebrate April Fool’s Day.
I don’t go out. I don’t participate in the f*ckery.
I rest. I reflect. I remember.
Because I survived.
And survival deserves honor.

I Am not April's fool.
And I don’t say that lightly.

We’re often told what to celebrate, what to acknowledge, what to laugh at, what to honor.
But who decided that April 1st would be a day about deception and embarrassment?

Let’s sit with that for a second...

Where does April Fool’s Day even come from?

Historians trace it back to the 16th century when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Those who didn’t get the memo and continued to celebrate New Year’s in April were mocked and called “April fools.” Over time, that turned into a tradition of playing jokes on others.

So… a day rooted in public mockery, misinformation, and collective gaslighting became a national "holiday." It literally is dated on the calendar.

And yet, so many of us continue to celebrate it... Without ever questioning why.

That’s the thing about society.
It teaches us what to value. What to remember. What to laugh at. What to grieve.
But part of healing and liberation is reclaiming your power to choose what’s meaningful to you.

As individuals, we have every right to create sacred moments.
We have every right to not celebrate something that doesn't align with our spirit.
To pause on a random Tuesday that no one else notices, but you do.
Because it marked a before and after in your story.

April 1st isn’t a holiday for me.
It’s a spiritual checkpoint.
It’s the day I faced death, and lived.
The day my old self began shedding.
The day my healing journey deepened.
And I honor that. Quietly. Intentionally.

So if you're reading this and there’s a day on your calendar that feels heavy, personal, or sacred… I want to remind you:
You don’t need the world to validate it.
You don’t need permission to grieve, to celebrate, or to rest on your own terms.
Give yourself space to reclaim the calendar.
Ask yourself:
Does this serve me?
Do I believe in this?
Does this align with my values, my spirit, my journey?

That’s how we start breaking out of the cycles of forced celebration and performative acknowledgment. That’s how we begin honoring the truth of who we are. Day by day.

Truthfully, for me... April 1st is the real New Year.

Not the one marked by fireworks in January, but the one that aligns with nature. With rebirth. With cycles. With truth.
Spring is when the Earth wakes up... And I do too.
April 1st brings me back to the scene of my own rebirth. A checkpoint. A mirror. A moment to say: I’m still here.

So while some are playing, I’m planting.
Planting seeds of gratitude, growth, intention, and reflection.
I move slowly and deliberately because I know what it took to get here.
And in my own quiet way, I celebrate
not just surviving, but becoming.