Dear Hearts,
As I sit here in a local coffee shop three miles from where I live, I am reminded that where I had planned to be at this moment was to enjoy a gelato as I wandered the streets of Rome, Italy -- a trip which had been carefully researched, reserved, and paid in full six months ago. Through an airline and cruise ship kerfuffle, the long awaited bucket list item did not materialize.
Consequently, I, of course, am not the only one experiencing a myriad of annoyances and disappointments this past week or two. An inordinate number of friends have posted multiple similar situations on social media, citing "Will this week never end? . . . anything that could go wrong has . . .", etc. And no, these are not pessimistic folks who consistently post their woes for all the world to see.
Through one avenue or another, I inadvertently discovered that Mercury has been in retrograde for the past couple of weeks. What does this mean? According to NASA, retrograde motion is an apparent change in the movement of the planet through the sky. It is not real in that the planet does not physically start moving backwards in its orbit. It just appears to do so because of the relative positions of the planet and Earth and how they are moving around the Sun.
Well, that's the science behind it, anyway. Ultimately, what it means for you and me, Dear Hearts, is when Mercury is up to these shenanigans, communication is sorely affected -- which can mess with anything from your new job application, appointments or travel arrangements, to a simple text to your mother-in-law, or your car being towed because you thought it was Saturday all day but it was really Friday and you parked in the wrong spot.
Okay, Dear Hearts. That's the so-called bad news. The good news? It's quite possible in some circumstances that whatever mercurial retrograde experience befalls you could wind up to be a positive; for example: A). A lesson learned; B) Something better in its place is on the horizon; or C) The Universe is protective and you dodged a bullet. In my case, I believe the situation includes all three.
So . . . what to do? My twofold suggestion is as follows:
1) Let it go. After taking action to rectify the situation without a budge from the person, place, or thing that has gone sideways, stop beating your head against the proverbial wall and do whatever is necessary get past it. Grieve, cry, write a blog article, get a mani-pedi, call your mother -- whatever helps. But do the obligatory self care.
2). Regroup and figure out how to move on. You may find that what happens next is head and shoulders above your original plan or encounter. Yes, it may take a minute to lick your wounds and heal, but "move it" anyway.
We have all heard the old adage that says "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Almost finished with my delicious latte, I am off to "make lemonade from retrograde", and go on a hike I've been looking forward to for a long time.
P..S. Oh! One more thing: Buckle up, Dear Hearts!
We have two more weeks of Mercury in retrograde.
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