Picture the scene. In about a month I am going to be standing next to a little pile of stuff on a dock somewhere in eastern North Carolina. I will have nowhere to go. I will, in point-of-fact, be homeless. Oh, poor me.
Now, in your head, I want you to make that needle-dragging-across-the-grooves-of-a-record screech that is the universal signal for a sudden rewind. Consider instead.
In about a month I am going to be standing next to a little pile of stuff on a dock somewhere in eastern North Carolina. I will have nowhere I have to be. I will, in point-of-fact, be able to go anywhere I want, do anything I want, try anything. How cool is that?
That, my friends, is what’s known as Spin: taking the same set of facts and coming up with a completely different outcome just by looking at them differently. I’m really going for Door Number Two. But, if I peel back the veil, fog, OK, 6” thick, brick hard, casing of optimism I’ve buried the “facts” within then Door Number One is still a distinct possibility – just not my first choice. The uncertainty is what is giving this adventure I’ve embarked upon that keen edge of risk. The spin I’m putting on it with my typical self-delusion on is something like Hey, if that’s the worst that could possibly happen why would I be worried at all? And so begins the game.
To put things in perspective I want to lay out what I am starting over with and what I expect to accomplish over the next several months. In that pile of stuff will be my boat clothes – basically shorts and T-shirts, some tools, my computer and books, a set of Henckels kitchen knives, and a pretty good collection of All-Clad cookware. Seeing how enticing that assemblage might be to the light-fingered among you led to my decision to keep secret the actual location of that dock in North Carolina. Impressive as that list is I would really not want to start out with much less.
From those humble beginnings I must endeavor to re-create a life on land with all the accoutrements that such a life demands. This is going to have to happen pretty darn fast as I understand that cardboard does not hold up to winter weather particularly well. I need to start acquiring this new life of mine in, what might be considered, a hurry.
First off I’m going to need a place to live. A place, not as in apartment, house, or condo, but as in a geographical location. I’ve been looking around as I’ve traveled up and, now, down the U.S. East Coast this past summer. I’ve found several locations that seemed “nice”, a fewer number that I thought “interesting”, but so far nowhere that called to me and said “You have got to live here!” This remains an open question and will be the subject of much rumination in the near future.
Once I get where sorted out I’m going to have to ponder over how. Should I be in a city center surrounded by a vibrant and exciting mass of people? Should I go the other way and live in a cabin in the woods surrounded only by nature’s bounty and a lot of annoying furry things? The suburbs? God forbid.
Then I’m going to need Stuff. Lots and lots of Stuff. This is, after all, the United States of America known around the world as the Land of Stuff. Clothes will be first and foremost on the list. However, I can’t begin to explain that, after almost ten years on a boat, the mere idea of “socks and shoes” evokes a feeling not unlike that which a Priest might feel upon discovering a wad of chewing gum in the chalice as he slurped down the last of the communion wine. Even the concepts of wrinkles, holes, and stains carry much less weight on a boat than elsewhere. I just have to get past the idea that “dressing up” means going to sleep in a different shirt than the one you woke up in. Furniture should be fun. When I left the land Ikea was just starting to be a presence. Now it may represent my interior design salvation. At least I’ve got the pots and pans.
One thing I won’t need is something to do – I’m a Writer. OK, there will be that clandestine job working nights at Walmart but my cover story for that will be “character research”. I hope to combine the observational skills of my scientific training with the logical skills I acquired as a computer programmer and merge them with my pencil-thin creative streak. With this combination I will endeavor to entertain you and hope to occasionally make you laugh hard enough to spit your gum into whatever it is you are drinking.
Having something to do, however, does not address my overriding concerns about Where, and How, and What. To get a handle on those issues I did what any creative, logical thinking person with finely-honed observational skills would do.
I consulted my Astrologer.
My Star Gazer is my friend Tony Picco. He has a website and writes an interesting Astrological blog called Cosmic Tuesdays. You can find him at www.aspicco.com. Tony and I go back to 6th Grade. We have a lot in common both being Capricorns and having been born near each other in space and time. We also share the distinction of being given nicknames involving waterfowl by the abusive teachers we had in Middle School. Two different teachers, mind you. Afterwards we lost touch with each other until about four years ago when, through the power of the internet, we reconnected. Recently Tony and I met for lunch in New York City and we were discussing my predicament. He said he’d have a look at my chart and see if it showed anything interesting.
He did, it did, and all I’ve got to say about it is: Wow!
Tony got into Astrology as a skeptic. Over time he became convinced that there really was something there deserving of study. The way he explains it is that the stars and planets can be looked at as a complicated celestial clock. The actual stars and planets are not physically affecting you any more than a wall clock is actually making the minutes go by. Their positions only represent the conditions at the time of your birth. The natural periodicity of their motions holds a key to your personality and development over time. Their interactions can be looked at along the lines of a clock that reads 3:00. Combine that with it being dark outside and we know it is 3:00 in the morning.
I was still doubtful until Tony started the reading. Then I was floored. I didn’t expect 100% accuracy but the “personality” part of the reading probably hit 85%. There were the traits that just are me. Things like: “charming”, “open”, “warm”, “optimistic”, “sociable”, “problem solver”, “intuitive”, “creative”. I think those of you who know me would readily agree. There were also some things that were so not me. Things along the lines of “know-it-all”, “overbearing”, “mean- spirited”, “intense”, “argumentative”. Come on. But then I really wasn’t expecting 100%.
Tony went on to explain my Planetary Transits. These are times in your life when the hands of your personal celestial clock are at specific places relative to other hands. Apparently I’m nearing the end of some significant transits that have occurred over the past few years. Two of these transits signified a time of “confusion”, “a lost feeling”, “a crisis with friends or family”, and “withdrawal from the group”. One was indicative of a time of “idea changes”, “research” and “investigation.” Those are done now and I’m left with just two for next year.
Those two are, for the astrologically minded, Pluto conjunct the Sun and Uranus opposite the Moon. Both are occurring three times spread over 2011. The first is indicating a period of “high energy”, of “self-transformation”, of “adding a new dimension to myself”, of “resolving issues” and of “striving”. The second represents a time of “chaos from outside”, of “changes in domestic arrangements”, of “outside emotional surprises”, and “day-to-day fluctuations in my home”. That doesn’t sound too far off the mark.
Then my transits will be over for a long while. Except.
In early December 2012 I will be experiencing what is called a Saturn Return. This is a time when the planet Saturn returns to the place in the sky it was when you were born. It happens every 29.5 years or so and, astrologically speaking, typically signifies a change from one phase of your life to another. Saturn is also the planet that rules Capricorn which is my Sun Sign. Both are concerned with elements of Career and Public Image. I have a time fast approaching when I’ll be looking for the Next Big Change in those parts of my life too. Sounds like I’ll be a busy boy for the next couple of years.
With Tony’s Astrology in hand I am now much less worried about encountering the tiger behind Door Number One. I still don’t have the specific answers we all are craving about Where, How, and What. However, I do seem to have stumbled into a very auspicious time for starting out on this little escapade of mine, assured of success. After all – it’s in the Stars.