Happy Halloween and a Prophecy

Happy Halloween everyone! This weekend my dad is visiting us in Chicago. There have been numerous places that S and I have stumbled upon that we can't wait to visit with my dad too.

I thought that this would be a good time to share a spooky (in a good way) story. Back in May we visited New Orleans with some friends. I went for the first time years ago for my bachelorette party and fell in love with the city. Me and my best friend got our tarot cards read and it was eerie how spot-on the Voo-Doo Bone Lady was. (She said that I was working in an association of some kind [non-profit museums] and that my partner was really supportive of that. She also said that whoever I was with at the moment, I would be with them a long time - she didn't know I was there for my bachelorette trip!)

One one of the last days on our most recent trip, S mentioned that he wanted to get his tarot cards read. S is not at all superstitious, doesn't really believe in things like ghosts and witchcraft, so I was so surprised that he wanted to do it. I, on the other hand, love tarot cards and all things related to the occult - I find them fascinating! It seems that the Voo-Doo Bone Lady no longer does tarot card readings in Jackson Square of the French Quarter, so instead we looked for another reader in the square.

We came upon a lady with tons of silver rings on her fingers, and I had a good feeling about her. So we sat down for a couples-reading. S and I each shuffled the deck, and Lady Crawley drew our cards, laying them down in a formation. After she looked at each card and how they relate to each other, the first thing she said was, "I see a move in your future." And, eerily, she was right.

At the time of the reading, we had no idea that we were moving. We've wanted to move to Chicago for years, but I wasn't ready to move, and I wanted a good job before I did because I would be leaving a great job behind. At that time of the reading, I had no idea that the position at the museum was open. I had no idea that I was ready to move out of state. I had no idea that she would know before we would know.

Not only was Lady Crawley correct that we would be moving, but she was spot on with all the background behind it, and the timing. She knew that there was no time limit (S could transfer his position and I was waiting to find a position that would be worth the move). She knew that it was based on one of us looking for the right fit (me, only wanting to stay with museums). And she said that if we stayed where we were, we would be fine, we would be content. But, if we moved, we would be really happy.
 
She broke down the cards into seasons:

• •Summer, she said was a time of socializing and networking.  This is when I was traveling to a different place each month (NOLA, Paris, Chicago, Bahamas, Mexico, etc), and when we talked more after the reading was over, she said if I was hoping to move that I should network with my connections in summer. (Such sage advice... there's an entirely other story behind that as well).
• •Fall, the time of the move. We moved in late August, so she was pretty spot on.
• •Winter, a time when it all comes together and it's all worth it. She made it sound like something would happen or inspire us to recognize that it was worth the move.
• •Skipping spring to next summer, she said would be a time of reflection and settling in. A lot less travel and a lot more being at home. I'm okay with that. After a busy year, a quiet summer in Chicago sounds perfect. Dog beach for Mort, the Lake Michigan beach for us, lunch outside with friends, it really sounds perfect.

S says that the tarot card reading could have inspired me to check the museum's website for open positions, which I hadn't done in a while. It could have inspired me to overcome the fear of moving so many miles away. And it could have inspired me to really pursue something that we've talked about for years. Or, Lady Crawley is just really great at reading tarot cards.