April Fool's Day

You wake up on the morning of April Fool's Day feeling like something is not quite right. As you rub the sleep out of your eyes, you remember that today is the release day of your first novel. Excitement and nervousness mix inside you as you get out of bed and make your way to the living room.

As you scan the room, your eyes fall on the stack of books sitting on the coffee table. It's your debut novel titled ‘The Lost Memories’. You can feel the adrenaline rush all over your body. The book took you years to complete and now, finally, it's ready to be released to the world.

You go over to the stack of books and pick one up. You flip through the pages, scanning for any errors, any typos that might have slipped through your final read-through. But everything looks perfect.

You walk over to the kitchen, start a pot of coffee, and sink into a chair at the kitchen counter. You look at the wall clock and see that it's already 9 am. You've got a lot to do today, starting with a radio interview at 10.

As you sip your coffee, your mind wanders back over the past few tumultuous years of your life. Two years ago, you lost your job, your marriage fell apart, and you hit rock bottom. But during that time, you began writing your novel as a way to escape from the pain, to express your creativity and construct a new life for yourself.

The excitement of finally releasing your book has been building up for months. This was the day you have been anticipating- the day the world would get to read and appreciate your masterpiece.

At 10 am, you walk into the radio station in downtown, ready for the interview. The show's host greets you kindly, and you start the interview. For thirty minutes, you talk about your book and your writing process. You share your struggles and victories. The interview ends, and you head back home to check your book's online sales.

You refresh the page and feel good about the initial sales. You head to social media, and soon, many people are congratulating you on your book release. You spend the afternoon responding to messages and emails until your phone rings.

You pick up, and the voice on the other end says, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but your mother's been in a car accident." Shock and disbelief pulse through your veins. Your mom is the one person in the world who's always been there for you. You tell the voice to hold on as you quickly grab your coat and head out the door.

You drive to the hospital, knowing in the pit of your stomach that things aren't going to be good. When you arrive at the hospital, your stepdad is waiting in the lobby. He stands up when he sees you and quietly says, "It's not good. Your mom's in a coma."

The color drains from your face. You feel sick, overwhelmed by the tragedy that has befallen your family. You spend the next few days at the hospital, praying for your mother's recovery. You don't have the focus to even contemplate any other aspect of life like promoting your book.

On the fourth day of the hospital vigil, you receive a notification on your phone from the publisher that your book is being recalled for editing purposes. You feel confused as you call your publisher who sounds apologetic as they break the news that there were multiple typos and small errors that were left in the final version after all.

Your heart sinks, not able to see any more good in anything anymore. They promise to resend the copies once the mistakes are fixed. Nothing seems to go right for you. However, deep down, you know that you’re not ready to focus on the book anymore, and you need to be present for your mother.

After weeks of holding bedside vigil and working with the hospital team, your mother finally wakes up and manages to pull through. You spend the next few weeks with her, taking care of her needs and getting her reacquainted with the world. Your publisher sends the second wave of revisions that need sign-off, and you’re able to guide sales back up again.

One day, you receive a call from the bestseller's list informing you that your book hit number one on their list. You can hardly believe the news. You’re overjoyed that something is finally going right.

The world may be full of pain and uncertainty, but your belief in your book never wavered, and your passion for writing persevered through the hardest of times.

And now, as you lay in bed, feeling the pain of loss and relishing the achievement of success, you know that you've still got a lot of life to live – And that even in the face of hardship, you can choose how you respond to the world.