The Lion’s Share

I am often searching Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. I look for quotes that might inspire a blog post, ideas for my kid’s new bedroom, or cool derby pictures. Today I stumbled upon an interesting board. The owner of that board has something in common with me. We are both Leos.

I never check my horoscope. Not even the ones in the City Weekly that are trying to be funny. Actually, those attempts at humor usually end up making me a little sad.

As we humans move through this world, we all search out and find things that affirm and validate what we already believe. This is why people can read their horoscopes and think that the information in them applies directly to their own unique circumstance.

Let’s take today’s Leo horoscope as an example:

Your financial situation needs some attention. That could mean almost anything from checking your balance online to re-examining your attitude toward retirement. You know what to do.

First of all, let’s go ahead and say that any prediction or astrological intuition is tempered and diluted when it uses the phrase “almost anything.” And headlines on CNN in the last couple weeks tell us of the huge Internet security breach known as Heartbleed. So yeah, we all need to check our latest bank statements

Aside—Let’s all take a moment to change our online passwords, whether or not you were born in the late summer.

And as for my retirement, maybe I do need to re-evaluate things. Because, at this point, I just had 10-15 years lopped off my life expectancy. So I am thinking that a trip to Iceland would be money better spent than putting it in my woeful 401(k).

My point is this: This could be the horoscope of any person in the English-speaking world. People will always be able to see how it fits into their own world.

But when I looked at some of the character traits of Leos as described on this board, I found some reoccurring themes that I like to believe describe me. That I just might be the Lion found among the stars. Maybe there is something to this horoscope stuff.*

Except… Well… The Earthquake’s birthday is the day after mine…

Anyway, here are a few of the traits of a Leo that are common among the many descriptions of this astrology sign:

Sensitive but tough

I never thought of myself as either especially sensitive or especially tough. I always thought those two traits to be antonyms. But, it seems that one actually helps foster the other. As it turns out, people in my life see me as both tough and sensitive. The other day, my dad told Kidlet that I was the strongest person he knows. Kidlet responded by saying that he already knew that.

Needs to be adored

This one is a no for me. Actually, I am the opposite. I am usually quite shocked to learn that someone adores me. Maybe it is because I have never truly, sincerely, completely been adored. At least not for more than a short period of time. I'm not sure I know how that feels. And, honestly, feeling adored at any level tends to lead me into choppy waters.

I need books, a comfy bed, and Interferon Beta. I don’t need to feel adored. But, it might be nice to see what being adored truly feels like.

Confident

I very rarely feel confident. I can't remember the last time I felt like I was going down the correct path. I know my strengths, and I recognize my weaknesses. But even knowing those things doesn't help me feel confident with my choices. But, at least I am not faking confidence. At least I am honest with myself. I think that is of higher value than feeling self-assured.

Has a huge and fragile ego

My ego is actually under-developed. I am quite the opposite of this one. I hate being the center of attention. Even in my own mind. I'm not preoccupied with my own life and the gratification of my own desires. I am a lot of things. Some good, some not-so-good. But I have never been accused of being self-centered. That is opposite of my default state, not something I have worked to overcome. This Leo can't be accused of the deadly sin of Pride. 

And how is that for a lion pun!

Possessive

I tend to hold the things—and even people—that I value very close to me. This opens me up to the tendency of becoming possessive. I am prone to jealousy. I think I am very giving, but sharing doesn’t always come easily to me. And I do believe that there are some things I should not have to share.

Impatient

Guilty again. I always like to know how things end. I peek at the back of the book. I check on the fate of my favorite TV characters on Wikipedia. I hate surprises. I have a hard time waiting for something to unfold or materialize. So yes, I am impatient. Although, science is saying I might be on the right track with this one. A University of California, San Diego psychology study found that people enjoy things more when they know what is going to happen. This is true even when the story had an unexpected twist ending. I’ve said it before. Knowing is always better than not knowing. Science!

Stubborn

I am incredibly stubborn. But I am not sure this is always a bad quality to possess. When I get something in my teeth, I tend to keep it right there until I have finished with it. With things like crossovers, this is a great quality. For things like toxic relationships, not so much.

Hypocritical

Ahem… I believe we’ve covered this one in previous posts…

Fakes confidence

Or as I like to call it: fwagger. Fake swagger. It seems to me that the more a person tries to convince you that he is confident, sophisticated and cool, the more he is insecure and afraid. I used to subscribe to the idea of "fake it 'til you make it." But I've reconsidered that philosophy. I now think that the more you fake, the deeper the bullshit. And, eventually, you have to wade through it all. Hopefully, you haven’t tossed aside the person in your life that could have loaned you some rubber boots.

Loyalty and faithfulness

This one was—by far—the most commonly mentioned trait. I don't think I have much to add for this one. Maybe I've just known one too many Leos.

There are about a million things you should be reading before you resort to reading a horoscope. Let me know if you need some suggestions. I have a list.

*For the permanent record that is the Internet blog, I do not believe in horoscopes, the Loch Ness monster, or the Meyers-Briggs personality classifications.