“oh hello, universe, i didn’t see you there...”

i’ve been feeling unusually sad for the past few days. i blame it on a number of factors (including lack of sleep), but i know most of it stems from the impending arrival of valentine’s day and the canyon of loneliness i tend to fall into as a result. but that’s a post for another day.

suffice it to say, i was especially blue this morning. so much so that i eventually found myself just sitting at my computer, crying. it was pathetic and clichéd and i was upset with myself for even engaging the self-pity, but i obviously needed to get that out of my system because i felt better when i was done.

anyway...

i collected myself and went about my day. i had breakfast, did some work, chatted with linda on- and offline, made a smoothie, did some other work, watched TV... and so on. still in a funk, but just moving through it.

late in the afternoon, my phone rang. it was my mom, calling to read me my horoscope from the newspaper. now, my mom and i don’t really talk about my feelings (especially sad ones) and she didn’t know i’ve been down for a few days, let alone that i sobbed into my keyboard earlier today. and she also doesn’t usually call me with my astrological forecasts... in fact, i think she only does it around dec. 31st, when the horoscopes for the upcoming year are published. nonetheless, she called today.

“hi! i thought you might want to hear your horoscope...”

“why? what does it say???”

and this is what it said (copied from the paper’s website):

There's no valid reason to believe that destiny is working against you. Ignore any thoughts of doubt or failure. No matter what seems wrong, remain determined, resolute and courageous. The mood will soon turn positive.

seriously.

it’s not so much the exceedingly fitting content of the horoscope that kind of freaked me out – because, let’s be honest, “don’t stop believing!” horoscopes are not uncommon – but the fact that it was published today, that my mom read it (we don’t share a sign, so she'd made a specific point of seeking out mine) and that she then picked up the phone to call me and read it to me exactly when i needed to hear it.

maybe it’s mother’s intuition... even though she didn’t preface or follow the horoscope with anything that would indicate why she thought i needed to hear it more than any other horoscope on any other day.

maybe it was just a coincidence... even though, as we know, there is no such thing.

or maybe it was just the universe putting a couple of chain links together to gently offer me a nudge, tilt my chin upwards and wipe away a tear.