Today's Horoscope

This morning, my horoscope said, "Some people peak early in life. Aren't you glad you're not one of them? It's taken awhile but your bloom is coming on. Get ready for some well-deserved success." I cannot begin to express how inspired that made me feel. At this stage in my life, midlife crises are rampant among my peers. One prevailing theory I subscribe to suggests that these crises are brought on by our realization that our best years are behind us; our greatest accomplishments have already occurred. I see both men and women struggling with our sense of self and the choices each of us has made that brought us to this point. We ponder our career choices or our decision to forgo a professional career to be at home with our children. Finances and the economy weigh on us heavily and we wonder if we are poised to manage college and retirement. Our children are growing up and seeking their independence, leaving many of us with free time that we do not know how to use. And, as we turn to our life partners, it dawns on us that they are seeing the same waning youth in us that we are seeing in them. If we choose to envision our future as nothing more than the fading glory of our past, then it is indeed a good time for a crisis.

Here is my theory: a midlife crisis is a choice. It is not something that strikes suddenly but rather a gnawing sense of doubt that insidiously takes root in our psyche and starts to grow. It is so easy to become consumed with how we stack up versus our peers and our own ambitions. In doing so, we all too often underplay the value of what we have achieved. Perhaps that is because our most important accomplishments usually do not come with public commendations. I may never achieve a level of success that is measurable to the outside world. But I have a wonderful husband, three amazing kids and apparently, I am not yet in full bloom! So today, I am taking solace in the fact that I was born in the house of Cancer and I still have great things ahead of me. Perhaps tomorrow's astrology reading will tell me something more specific.