In Mercury Retrograde and smiling

With Mercury in retrograde, it seems that communication foibles may be a constant companion until the 7^th of August. So if I appear to be reflecting a lot, it’s because there'll be a natural inclination towards that at this time and I’ve decided to just go with it! It’s apparently not a good time for taking action, public speaking, decision making, dealing with authorities, husbands, wives, ex-husbands, ex-wives, bank managers and the like! Oh goodness! What shall we do for the next five days?

I have set up a "Make the most of it" list for the next week of my life and I’m going to share it with you!

01. Make sure that my family knows that I love them, even though when I open my mouth to say something, it comes out all wrong! Try leaving them notes in funny places, draw smiley faces on their smoothie glasses in the morning with white board marker, and other forms of non-verbal communication!

02. Remind myself that if the Buddha in my garden can still sit peacefully with spiders crawling all over him, I can too!

03. Drink at least two liters of water a day even though it’s absolutely freezing outside and it's the last thing I want to do. If you are even slightly dehydrated, your short term memory can get so fuzzy you can forget simple things like names, have trouble doing basic maths, forget where you put stuff, have trouble focusing on the k@yb@#rd...i mean key board. Adding these kinds of minor mishaps to Mercury retrograde is asking for trouble.

04. Remember to laugh at myself. Actually remember to laugh daily. When you laugh, it strengthens your immune system, boosts energy levels, de-stresses, and diminishes pain (which is why I giggle incessantly when I hurt myself!). It also brings people closer together.

05. Eat raw and home-cooked food that I’ve picked myself out of the garden (see ‘The ultimate stress management’ post on 28 May 2012) Note to self: Do not be lazy about this, do it immediately as you get home everyday after work.

06. Go do something awesome out in nature this weekend. A winter picnic on the beach after a long hike down the cliffs to the coast may do the trick, failing that; a picnic on the lawn in the garden would work just as well! That way, if the temperature drops, we can put the kettle on! It may seem obvious, but there are real health benefits to getting out into nature that we don’t even consider, for example; it’s good for your eyes! It increases the attention span of children. It boosts energy, mental clarity, decreases mental fatigue, leads to faster recovery from injury and surgery.

Mercury retrograde can really be your friend, if you know it’s happening. If you don’t know, it’s fertile ground for feeling victimized by ailing electrics, blitzed mobile phones, car problems, miscommunication, and other patience pushers! Happy Mercury retrograde everyone! May the next week bring ample opportunity for clarity, introspection, re-budgeting, re-planning, reflection.