Memory in Retrograde

There has been some negative energy in the air this past week and I recently learned that it might be because mercury is in retrograde. Some believe that this phenomenon can make people act differently. Supposedly, when a planet is in retrograde it moves back through the zodiac. Scientists don’t necessarily believe that planets can do this, nor do they believe that planets are stationery, however, those with more spiritual slants are more inclined to be believers

Mercury rules thinking, perception, processing and means of communication. As a result, mercury in retrograde can give rise to misunderstandings, various types of glitches involving computers, phones and transportation. Believers don’t suggest making any important decisions during these times because some people may have difficulty thinking clearly.

It has been said that retrograde planets mark a period of inevitability fated events. In fact, some unresolved issues from the past might surface. Whether I believe this is another matter, but I do know that I have been thinking about a particular event from my past:the death of my dear friend Lynda Percival Glickman in 1992. She was a brilliant woman and nursing practitioner whose passion was traveling. Each year she traveled to Africa to teach African women about birth control. She loved the culture. Because of a combination of emotional and physical factors, she shockingly ended her life by jumping off a 21-story building. She knew that there was finality in this type of suicide. Yesterday would have been Lynda’s 63^rd birthday.

For years, Lynda had been my inspiration. In nursing school she was my mentor and over the years became a dear friend. I met Lynda days before my plan to drop out of nursing school because of a bad experience. I enrolled in Lynda’s pediatric nursing course and she immediately inspired me to stay in the program. The following year I graduated. That same year was the first time I came face to face with a child who lost his hair due to chemotherapy. It really snapped my life into perspective.

So today, when mercury is supposedly in retrograde and the effects of the full-moon of last Thursday still linger, I stop to think about the importance of keeping one’s perspective and to look at the glass half full, rather than half empty.

What do you have to be thankful for this week?