Three to four times a year, a celestial optical illusion occurs wherein the planet Mercury appears to move backwards in the sky.
I know this because I have a habit of reading horoscopes in the daily paper (which yes, I get delivered to the driveway), and the astrologer was warning about travel disruptions, miscommunications, and the wisdom of avoiding making any big decisions while we were in Mercury retrograde.
The retrograde out of which we have just emerged was from February 26 through March 20, which just so happens to coincide with the peak of cabin fever season.
That, compounded by other types of chaos I don’t need to go into here, might cause rational people to simply stay safely at home until the danger passes.
And yet we do need to go to the playground, and we do need to go to the dentist, and other places, too. And that’s where we find other people.
And then the trouble begins.
Although it is not my practice to alter my conduct on the basis of horoscopes, I am always open to entertaining myself. So when I am confronted with situations that defy comprehension, after plenty of internal dialog, and maybe even a well-chosen, quietly delivered word or two, I throw whatever is going on into the bucket along with everything else I cannot control.
And chalk it up to the stars.
During Mercury retrograde, I took my measure.
I forced myself to take care of a lot of paperwork I would prefer to avoid, but I did not make any weighty decisions.
I practiced my golf swing, and went to my church, where I find a lot of people I enjoy.
I expressed my opinion with my vote, by my actions, and by email.
And I talked with my family, who are most important of all.
I observed who called, and who did not.
And time, and the retrograde passed.
What joy!
Spring! ©
