On JUST DOING IT…

Early morning musings as I listen to cello music shuffling on my Echo, thanks to Alexa fulfilling my wish. She is like a genie in a bottle.

I got a new tattoo yesterday; what I think is a very beautiful, stylized, abstract depiction of the most beautiful of the planets, Saturn.

In mythology/astrology, the god Saturn is all about hard work, discipline, timeliness, rules, strong foundations, boundaries and as I’ve written before, he strongly forces us to “get our shit together”. He reminds us that time is short; we aren’t here forever on this earth.

He has saved my life over and over again, as I tend to reject many of the above structures now and again, often to my detriment. (But then again, often, to my delight and expansion!)

What better way to express my gratitude and honor his influence than to commit him to my skin. Now, it’s not a perfectly accurate depiction and I’m hoping with him being a stickler for the rules and all, he will allow me some wiggle room on this.

I thought about this tat for a long time and researched designs and artists. I sat with it for about a year. I had even made an appointment with another artist in the spring and cancelled at the last minute. But, I knew I would get it.

Well, the time seemed right as Saturn entered the sign of Capricorn in my 12th house (I know mumbo jumbo to most of you…let’s just say it’s significant as I move forward into my second adulthood….for further insight, just ask. I’ll talk astrology forever…).

MANY of you have expressed to me something along the lines of “I want a tattoo, but I don’t know what I want. It has to be the perfect design. I want a tattoo, but I’m afraid it will hurt or I want a tattoo, but I want it to have something to do with my kids”.

Here’s the deal. Stop talking about it. Stop making excuses and if you REALLY want one, get one. It’s very simple. At the risk of being sued by Nike, JUST DO IT!

A tattoo is very personal. What speaks to you? What represents you? What motivates you or activates your core values and beliefs? Or what are your hobbies? Your passions? What symbolizes the path you want to follow or motivates you to be a better person, if that’s your goal?

And it doesn’t HAVE to be perfect. Nothing is perfect and if you have several themes you want to express, get several tats.

And yes, it does hurt. Some places more than others. But what DOESN’T hurt in life? The phrase “No Pain, No Gain” isn’t just a bumper sticker. It’s a sage reminder that in order to get what we want or to express ourselves or fully live OUR authentic lives, there is sacrifice involved. Period.

So, now you see that I’m not really just talking about tattoos, right?:) And that in fact, I’m channeling my personal spirit animal, Saturn.

If you want something, you HAVE TO ACT! We all sit around and think and wonder and make excuses. Or wait for someone to hand deliver our dreams and desires. Lay the groundwork and get it done.

Saturn is cracking the whip and will be for the next 2.5 years in Capricorn. He is always working on us, but in this sign, it’s particularly intense.

So, waffling and excuses and ‘somedays’ just won’t cut it. You may already be feeling this and what I would encourage is that you follow it. Act on your urges to set some boundaries, build some structure and discipline, to even the smallest duties.

That is the flow that we’re in. Resistance to Saturn is futile. He always wins:) It’s taken me the better part of 50 years to get that message and now, he’s right there on my left forearm, reminding me: “Jane…time is short; get your shit together”.

“You Will Fail”–Love, The Universe

My husband and I were having dinner with good friends the other night.  There was lots of laughter and chatter, until one of the couples received a text from their daughter who is away at college.  She had shared some bad news. 

She did not get into an academic program that she’d been working toward for the past two years.  It was devastating for her and by extension, her parents.

We all expressed our sympathies and reviewed everything she had done to ensure her success and acceptance into this program.  Her mom told us that getting into this program was all she had planned for.  She had no idea how she would move forward.

After the initial shock wore off, we started talking about what we’ve learned from our collective disappointments.  Since all of us were over 50, we had quite a stockpile to sift through.

The bottom line:  life is a series of disappointments and successes.  That’s really what it all comes down to and when you have the luxury of looking back, you can see how many of your most devastating failures or setbacks, were actually pivotal turning points.

We all rebound from losses.  ALL of us.  Loss may ding us or make us more wary, but eventually we find a way out.  That’s how life is set up.  Time keeps flowing like a wave to carry us to the beach; sometimes gently, sometimes in a violent crash.  But, it happens.

Look back on your most painful losses or failures. Think about a time when you didn’t get something that you wanted so badly.  You asked why, felt cheated, repeated to yourself and anyone who would listen that you had done all the right things to make this happen for you.  And yet, it didn’t.  You cried out that life is unfair.

Yup.  It is.  And it’s not.  Life just is.  Life is a series of ups, downs, joy, triumph, pain, suffering, loss, victories, good meals, bad meals, cuts, scrapes, financial losses, financial gains, speeding tickets, death, destruction, natural disasters, treachery, lessons and second chances.  That’s what we get when we pop our head (or our ass, which isn’t optimal) out of the womb.

Take a moment to think back, as we did sitting around the table, to those personal moments of loss and failure.  What came into your life as a result?  The vast majority of these challenges were overcome.  So many times when we’re forced to take the fork in the road, it was a great fork.  We grew, we learned, we adapted and sometimes, we even bloomed.

Maturity, time and age really help to dull the effects of the inevitable disappointments we face.   Events that used to send me into a tailspin barely register anymore.  I know that it will work out, that l will adapt and evolve. Yes, there are still things that knock me flat on my ass like the death of my dog, Chili last fall (more on that here).  I’m still brushing myself off from that and have not quite processed the take-away.  But, I will.   With enough time.