Talking Back to Fortune

After nine weeks of 2011, I am inclined to think my New Year's fortune might have been a warning versus a suggestion. Sought-out or otherwise, changes have been coming at me nonstop since January 1st. I've been grateful for the positive, and have done what I can to manage the negative, but oy. At this point the Year of Change has me thinking less about changing and more about doing what I can do to make the next ten months a little less stressful.

Cave. Tibet. Paradise!

Kidding. In the meantime I've cracked open a few more cookies, and this is what else they had to say:



This one is probably a direct cosmic nudge for me. Outside immediate family, people who care about me are usually the last to know when something is going on in my life. I think it's because the words "support system" always instantly make me think of other phrases, like "misery loves company" and "share the depression."

I'd rather handle things on my own; in my experience self-reliance is more dependable than other people. Easier to deal with, too, as I never like to impose on those I trust. But as a very patient and understanding friend just reminded me, the people who do care about us often go through similar or even the same problems (and kept it quiet because they don't want to impose on us.)

I'm going to work on my trust issues, but I do wish my troubles would go on a diet and slim down to minor annoyances.



This is a perfect analogy for all those things in life that are much desired, often dreamed of, and rarely bestowed. I for one love cake, always have, always will. I never met a cake I didn't want. Okay, maybe not that one some women make with condensed tomato soup; as ingredients go that is just a wee bit too weird for me. But as for the rest of them, really, what's not to lust after?

These days, plenty. Once upon a time cake used to be simply cake. Much desired, often dreamed of, and rarely bestowed. Not anymore. Now folks are spreading around lots of pretty frosting on all manner of things and calling them cake (when a lot of them are actually more like what my grandmother used to call horsey pies.) We should be able to smell these fake cakes a mile away, but times are tough and everyone wants to believe there's a cheap and easy way to get all the cake they want.

I don't have a problem with this because I can't have cake anymore. I'm strictly a bran muffin girl these days. Not everyone is on the nuts-and-twigs diet, though, so you should be careful what you buy, and what you buy into. You've all heard the one about If it sounds too good to be true, etc. Here's an updated version: If someone tells you that for a couple hundred bucks you can have a million cakes, they aren't selling you cake.

So what has fortune been telling you these last nine weeks? Any significant messages from the cosmos land in your lap? Let us know in comments.