I couldn’t remember the last time I was sober at 4:20 on 4/20.
When 4/20 hit this year, I was nine days short of nine months into my sobriety. 04/20/24 was also the date of the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction.
“One of 2024’s most significant astrological events. Jupiter and Uranus will align in Taurus for the first time since 1941! Conjunctions occur when planets meet, from our view here on Earth, at the same exact point in the sky.”
Excerpt from:
A palindrome is a word, phrase or sequence that reads the same backward as forward.
42024 is a Palindrome!
Now, I am not superstitious, nor do I follow astrology. Still, since 4/20/24 is a palindrome, and the planets Jupiter and Uranus happen to align in Taurus for the first time since 1941, I took it as a good omen and a positive confirmation that I decided to stay sober on 4/20/24. The date is the same backwards and forwards, and the planets have literally aligned! How can that not be a sign?
I say, “I decided” to stay sober because today would have been a really big trigger-happy day. Weed is legal. Weed is on sale today! With 4:20 deals all day long, it’s a Sunday, I’m off, the weather is in the mid-60s to low 70s, and the sky is a clear baby blue. I wouldn’t even have to leave the house. I can browse on my phone and pick my favorite strains (Sativa for the day and Indica for the night), and my Kushagram driver would’ve arrived roughly within the hour.
When I say “I decided” to stay sober, that means there was some planning involved. Fighting addiction is a planned activity. You can’t be caught off guard, especially when you know certain days can trigger you. My known trigger days were every single day, Holidays, Birthdays, and, of course, 4:20 on 4/20 is a big one.
An ad from Lauren Daigle popped up on my Instagram feed back in February, and I saw that she started her Kaleidoscope Nights tour. What a coinkydink! She happens to be performing in my area on 04/20/24. Now turn to your neighbor and say, “God is trying to tell you something!” Me on 4/20 day at a Christian Concert? Well, that is a sure way I won’t get high on 4/20. I thought that was a sign, if there ever was one, and I didn’t even know then that the planets would align on that day or about the crazy cool Palindrome thing.
I can’t take credit for this uncharacteristically strong discipline I seem to possess. A few years back, I even had the word “self-control” tattooed in my own cursive handwriting on the inside of my right arm (my dominant side) as a reminder that I had no “self-control” and that I needed to gain self-control and be sober-minded. My sobriety journey is lined with the intention to be obedient, lots of prayers, and the Holy Spirit constantly reminding me of that “Why do you call me Lord, Lord? and not do what I say?” verse. My worst nightmare is that I would stand in front of Jesus with the many versions of His name tattooed on me, and I would call out, “Lord?” and He would reply, “Depart from me; I never knew you!”
So, on 04/20/24, I decided to spend a beautiful afternoon in line for the VIP preshow for Lauren Daigle’s Kaleidoscope tour. I coughed up the 49 bucks for the cheapest VIP package, which included a pre-show song and Q&A before I climbed up to my $29 nosebleed seats. I was definitely elevated but not high. It was a night of worship and encouragement. It was a sold-out show where Jesus was invited, felt, praised and welcomed.
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