Blame It On The Stars

Well...Mercury is in retrograde. I’ve said this, half-jokingly, far too many times in the past week.

Whether you roll your eyes at that kind of thing or not, it can feel good to have a way to explain things going awry. And it is especially comforting when we can connect with others by laughing (or crying) about the crazy week we’ve ALL had. Personally, unearthing explanations keeps me sane. If I have an emotional day, I will not relax until I can pinpoint a moment of upset. If I’m feeling sick, I need a diagnosis. In my mind, there MUST be a logical explanation for everything. Being focused on problem solving can often give us an illusion of control. Feeling tapped in to the “whys” behind your moods and tendencies feels good, and that makes sense! But there will inevitably be times when we get tossed around by life a bit, no matter how hard we try to stay grounded.

This happened to me just yesterday. Nothing and everything was wrong all at once. In the middle of a perfectly normal day, I found myself in tears, seemingly for no reason. From there, the day spiraled. My computer stopped working, my camera case fell apart, and I had to actively keep from crying. Try as I might, I couldn’t find an explanation for my feelings or the whole mess of a day. After working myself up even more by trying to make sense of things I thought, “what if I just let it happen”? What is the worst thing that could happen if I just let myself cry without having to know why? What if I shrugged my shoulders at the inconveniences and said, “it’s probably the moon”?

Maybe what we need is balance. Yes, we will always seek understanding of ourselves and the world around us. But taking things as they are, in the moment, could do our hearts some good. Next time things seem to be falling apart with no explanation, take a breath, and let it happen. Release your need to immediately solve the problem. Give yourself permission, even just for a moment, to blame it on the stars.