WHAT WOULD A HOPEFUL VIRGO DO?

I opened the newspaper yesterday to find, to my surprise, a melancholy horoscope. I thought I must have misunderstood it, so I read it again. “There must be some mistake,” I muttered. “Aren’t horoscopes always supposed to be positive? Isn’t that how they sell the papers?” So Here, according to the New Year’s eve edition of the Edmonton Journal, is my horoscope for 2015. “VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22 This New Year is the time to be with the ones you love. You will land like a cat on all fours this year. You also will do a lot of reflecting through mid-August. Be honest with yourself about what works and what doesn't. Let go of what is not working, as you are about to begin a new luck cycle sometime around your birthday. You could be surprised by how good life can be. It would be wise to use the first part of the year to ask yourself what you would change if you could. Also, update your life goals; perhaps they need some revision since you last thought about them. A lot likely has changed since then. Others seem to gravitate toward you, and your life will become more rewarding as a result. It is quite possible that something you really want will become a reality. Soak up the popularity and good fortune that come your way in 2015!” Not entirely pleased with the idea of needing to land like a cat, or review my life goals, or reflect on things in mid-August when I’d rather be soaking up the delights of summer, I decided to sleep on it, and review it again in the new year—which is today. I’ve never been very good at life goals. Other people decide to be an airline pilot, or an astronaut. They fill bucket lists with exotic destinations. I, in contrast, say things like; “I just want to be happy.’ Or, “I want to be able to look back and feel proud of how I handled things.” Goal-setters hate this kind of talk. It makes them throw up their hands in despair. But it’s the best I can do—honestly it is, and I simply will not let it go, even if it isn’t working! Today is the day when I will probably forget, for the first time this year, to write 2015 instead of 2014. Nevertheless, I am trying to get things off to a good beginning. Recalling some famous falls by cats I have known, off of fridge tops and out of hayloft windows, I started the first morning of the first day of 2015 with some stretches, some sit-ups, some bird dogs, and a push-up or two. I am working on the goal of building more flexibility and stability, my preparation for landing “like a cat on all fours.” Then I went downstairs and started the preparation to be with the ones I love, at our New Year’s dinner and card party. Looking back at the invitation I sent them, I predict that they will be gravitating toward me at about 4:30, and if they don’t let me win at cards—a distinct possibility based on historical perspective, their presence will be reward enough for me. As for asking myself what I would change if I could, I decided to put that off until tomorrow.