ARIES (March 21-April 19). Someone’s laziness does not reflect poorly on you; it merely shines a light on your own weaknesses. Perhaps you’re jealous and wish you, too, could live a life of ease. Examine your motivations before blaming.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Prestige is overrated. What does it get you other than a sense of importance and entitlement? The high esteem that others bestow upon you is ephemeral; it can evaporate overnight. Self-respect is better than prestige.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Identify negative thought patterns. Ask yourself: Where did this thought come from? Is it true and provable? Once you realize negative thinking is not fact but a fiction created by your insecurities, you can adjust your worldview.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour. Life’s unexpected twists and turns are what keep things interesting. After all, would you really want everything to go exactly according to plan? Boring!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Control is an illusion. Management is reality. No matter how well you plan your day, you’re always going to have that last-minute e-mail or drop-in visitor to throw off your day. With a good attitude, you’ll still be amazingly productive.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (October 13). You might surprise yourself by taking up a cause that stirs you to action and revives your passion. It could be something as huge as taking on global warming or as small as helping an elderly neighbor clean out her garage. Resistant family members will come around once they see how serious you are. Lucky love signs are Cancer and Aquarius. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 17, 22, 46 and 50.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). To realize the value of a minute, ask a person who has missed a plane. To realize the value of a second, ask someone who narrowly escaped a serious accident. Every moment of your life has value. Make the most of your moments.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Does your partner balance you out? You know it’s true if he or she is still clearly on your side even when you both disagree. But if your disagreements turn into unproductive arguments, it’s time for a re-alignment.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You may receive some news from a family member who’s going through a difficult and confusing time. The information he or she imparts will throw some light on recent strange behavior. Listen, and sympathize.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Sometimes to see the big picture, you need to look at several smaller snapshots. Nowhere is this truer than in examining your life. What did you receive from others today? What did you give? Write down the answers.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Happiness comes through doors you didn’t even realize you left open. Seek it, and you probably will not find it. Stop searching, and there it is. It finds you when you’re ready for it – and usually when you least expect it.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The longer you complain, the longer it takes until you are healed. So take some real action. Do something to fix the situation. No matter who got you into a mess, you’re the best person to get yourself out of it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once. Repeat them often enough, and you’ll eventually get bored with them, like anything else. There’s no getting around growing up – it happens to the best of us.
ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I’m a Libra (born Oct. 6, 1959) married for 20 years this November to another Libra (Oct. 22, 1932). For various reasons, I am starting to feel my husband is hindering my personal and professional progress. I will not leave him because he has been very good to me and my marriage vows are a ‘forever’ commitment. But I need to feel I can develop my own life and social circles without constantly having to worry about his feeling left behind. Will I be able to flourish in my own life, or will I become increasingly his caretaker?
Because your husband is so much older than you, the problem you are describing is par for the course. I admire your willingness to honor your commitment to your husband even though this is the point in your lives when your age difference is most apparent. He would be destroyed if you left. Though your commitment to stay is firm in your head, your heart is not in it. Putting your heart back into the relationship will not destroy your outside life, but it will enrich you and make all you do seem more meaningful. Stop resenting your husband. Surrender to your situation. It will set you free.
CELEBRITY PROFILES: Ashanti is spreading her wings, as are many other Libra career women born in 1980. A realization is causing these Libra gals to focus farther into the future than ever before. Seeing where they are headed causes a change in approach. A career with longevity has got to have balance, which for Ashanti means branching out into more acting roles. Look for her to appear in the starring role of a family film next year.
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Copyright 2004 Joyce Jillson