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$25. A harmless tarot card reading in the middle of an annual Renaissance Festival. Yet I keep wondering how much truth the “predicted future” truly holds…

I tend to be a nonbeliever when it comes to a variety things, including fortune tellers. But when immersed in the 16th century, dropping a few bucks on the gypsy tent seemed like a fun idea, and it was … for the most part.

As she began to flip my cards, the first words out of her mouth were, “Did you recently switch careers?” DING, DING, DING, indeed, I did. I was shocked that she could’ve so accurately discovered something so unapparent by simply saying hello, telling her my name, and forking over the cash. After a few moments discussing that aspect, she moved to the next question: “Has anyone close to you passed away in the last week or so?” It was a Sunday afternoon, and less than one week beforehand, a good friend from college died.

She had me at that point – hook, line and sinker.

The reading continued, mentioning things that were a bit more grand such as taking more time for myself among all the responsibilities I’ve taken on. Some things were precise and definitely seemed to fit into my life. Other things, eh, I stretched to relate to, but still considered if they were more important than I ever assumed.

Eventually she finished with the first round of cards and inquired about specific questions I might have. I asked about my brother — and her words seemed kind of spot on — as well as love, which provided the most “future-telling”; a future I sort of hope isn’t true.

She said I’m interested in someone — duh! — then asked if I was in a relationship, to which I replied I am. She continued by saying she didn’t see it lasting. I was “settling,” and the coupledom I know now would likely end in the next six to nine months.

WHAT!? So not what I signed up for!!!

I like my boyfriend. I love my boyfriend. We share an apartment together, we’re both incredibly happy. Including Sophie, we have what I like to call a “wittle famwee.”* To some extent, I plan to keep him around a very, very long time, if not forever. But it’s going to end somewhere between April and July?** Oh, awesome…

For the most part, I’m taking what ideas spawned from those tarot cards with a grain of salt. Can the future really be predicted? Eh, I’ve never been convinced of that. But she was so spot-on with other aspects of my life that it was difficult not to accept every word she uttered as near-absolute truth of what is to come. At the same time, I don’t want that fate to be my reality, but now I have to wait six to nine damn months to find out how honest those readings are.

I’ve always generally believed that we create the paths our lives take. They are not predictive, they are not set in stone as we enter this world. The road we travel is of our own making, and I’m hoping more now than ever that my long-held beliefs are correct. I suppose only time will tell though… I’m far too impatient for this.

* That’s “little family,” but I say it stupidly for some reason… Don’t ask questions.
** This has become a fun fake-argument line in our home though. “Oh ya? Well we only have another six months together anyway.” Ha. We’re super lame.