Here I am, trying to create something meaningful from the chaotic void. It’s fitting I return to writing this blog on April 1st, April Fool’s Day. I’ve come to realize in this life, whether I’ve meant to or not, I’ve played the fool quite often. I think we all do more than we care to admit. It’s not always a bad thing. Being foolish can somehow also be clever.
We believe what we want to in order to maintain an even-keel, a reason to keep going. In the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot, the fool represents adventures, spontaneity, and new horizons. It’s the very first card, leading the way into the unknown toward whatever is to come – with an almost blind faith that the road will bring about something spectacular. I’m learning quickly that mindset may not be so bad to have while navigating through life.
It certainly beats the alternative.
A cynic could be considered the opposite of the fool. A cynic scoffs and is the first to shout out, “Fool!” in a demeaning way that elicits shame and guilt. A cynic sees no adventure, no new horizons. So, maybe the key is to put more stock into our innate foolishness. To encourage within ourselves an innocence and an earnestness that keeps us from becoming a cynic. This past month, I’ve waivered back and forth between the two sides as if my soul was unsure which fate it preferred.
Yet, with the help of my wonderful, supportive mother and a new beagle puppy I’ve adopted, I’ve become acutely aware which path I prefer. I’m going to continue what’s in my nature and embrace the fool’s journey. That way, I’ll learn to see my fumbles as pathways to strength, my errors in judgement as lessons to bring wisdom. And that by doing so, I’ll beat back the cynic and become unafraid of the path stretched out before me. For there is such a thing as a wise and brave fool.
More to come.