It's easier to blame Mercury

I noticed several Twitter and Facebook updates that indicate people are grumpy.  Everyone is experiencing some sort of backward pull or a severe magnetism towards the negative.  According to the trending hashtags, it is because we are in the midst of Mercury in retrograde.  This sounds good to me.  I can blame my lack of energy on the alignment of the planets instead of my inability to get to be before 2 a.m., the dark and damp weather, or my lack of affection for housework. 

The folks at Astrology.com are describing today, well November 24 – December 11, as a “snarlup!” of communication among the masses.  This makes people feel cranky.  To compound the exasperation, “Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains.”  Does this mean that there is no chance of feeling good about the current weather conditions or massive to-do list?

I can’t control the weather.  This I know.  So I won’t let it have me.  

My to-do list, well, I could start by creating one that is manageable.  Or, I could start by, um, opening my handy Cozi Family Planner and actually tapping on the section that makes it easy to create lists.

 

Solutions are good.  Now to tackle the reason I cannot sleep.

I'll start with facts.  According to Astrology.com Mercury in retrograde can be blamed for the past rearing its ugly head: “Unresolved issues from the past tend to push themselves forward.” I haven’t slept since hearing the  Jerry Sandusky interview with Bob Costas. Like 19.7% of the world's women, I have issues with child sexual abuse.  It makes sense that I would have difficulty sleeping. So, there I have it.  Sleep should be sound tonight.

Wait.  Penn State was in the headlines before Mercury was in retrograde. 

It must be Syracuse.  The story that has summoned a séance in my head is the one blowing up at Syracuse University—the one involving the victim who recorded his phone conversation with Laurie Fine, the wife of alleged perpetrator, coach Bernie Fine.  The story I heard on Sunday night during Mercury in retrograde.

In the recorded conversation Laurie Fine admits that she saw the abuse occurring. She knew.  She did nothing to stop it.  Can you say ‘aiding and abetting?’  She’s a soulless criminal.  What is more, she told the victim he shouldn’t have trusted someone like her husband.  Hearing her say that horrified me. Blaming the victim. Most of us know that’s a no-no.

She is obviously a sick woman who deserves nothing but prison time.  That is easy to conclude and I have the ability to rant about her for hours.  But let’s not get distracted from dear Mercury in retrograde and its gift of bringing the past to the forefront.
   

Unfortunately, I know people like Laurie Fine.  I know people who blame the victim, who pretend like they do not know, and who spend their life lying and heartlessly manipulating people in order to maintain denial and innocence.  This seems like a reasonable reason to lose sleep.  And of course Sunday, the night I encountered this story and taped conversation, was indeed part of this ongoing Mercury retrograde.  And, indeed, I have slept even less since Sunday. 

So what do the folks at Astrology.com prescribe for the insomniac who has unresolved issues from the past pushing forward during Mercury retrograde? 

For answers I turn to my daily horoscope:  “. . . try new things in your life. Why not sign up for a class with your best friend or partner? That way, if the experience turns out to be a disaster, you'll both have something to laugh about. After all, life is just one great big adventure...”

New?

O.K. 

Writing with honesty. 

Fearful of nothing. 

Saying “yes” to the sink full of dirty dishes. 

Embracing all that is wonderful—especially about me.  Right after I wake up Michael so we can make it to our first knitting class.  I wonder if the instructor will trust us with those long needles?