Dear Reader,

“You are not a tomb”

“You have zero self-control right now”

“You don’t know your face until someone loves it”

“People want you around”

After reading this, you may be wondering who told me this series of supposedly “hyper-personalized” and real advice. The answer to that is Co-Star. If you’ve never heard of Co-Star, you’re probably not one of my peers. It’s a mobile horoscope app that provides users with personalized daily horoscopes they can then compare with their friends. 

I never actually open the app, but every day I am graced with notifications like the ones written above. Reading them over now, they’re ridiculous, yet every time one pops up on my phone I can’t help but show whoever I’m with saying, “Soooooo trueeeee” while aggressively nodding my head.

I wouldn’t say I believe in horoscopes or know anything about astrology; however, it is very fun. A lot of people hate on it or say it's fake, and I honestly pity them because they’re missing out on fun notifications like these. “You are not a tomb.” What does that even mean? No one can truly say, but it’s fun to twist all of these predictions and motivations to fit whatever is happening to me at a specific moment. 

I think all the people who hate astrology do the same things with other things, such as religion. I mean, Mom wakes up at 5 am every day and uses the same scripture to get through all her different problems and to celebrate all her successes. It’s so easy to pick out whatever you want with things like these, and everyone needs a little something to hold onto and use to cope or feel connected to a larger community. That’s human nature. 

Like I said though, I don’t really believe in astrology and I also don’t subscribe to any kind of religion. I don’t have anything to cling to and to get that kind of reassurance from. Religious people have a moral code to follow and something to look forward to in their death, astrologically inclined individuals seem to predict the future and are comfortable with almost anything that happens to them as long as it matches their chart. I even think some people fill that hole with the intense support of a sports team; it provides something to follow and people to look up to. 

I crave this kind of dedication. I’m too lazy to care that much about one thing, and I’ve tried a lot of different ones. For starters, I grew up in the church, and even as a child I called bullshit. In high school, I tried to get into astrology but quickly got bored. I think caring that much about a sport is insane behavior. I’ve never been able to take part in a cult following of a singer, movie, show, or author no matter how hard I tried. 

I said above that it’s human nature to fill our obsessive void with something, but I can’t seem to find my niche. I envy those who can be so passionate about one thing and never get sick of it. I yearn to have a deep understanding of a topic, something that everybody knows I love. I feel like I’m missing out on that kind of love for something and hope I find it soon. I try to force it but know that’s impossible. 

Currently, I’m trying to be obsessed with bee-keeping. I watched a TED Talk on it, so that’s a start. Obsessive might be a stretch, but it never hurts to try. 

Maybe one day I’ll live on a farm, raise thousands of bees, and sell local honey to my neighbors with seasonal allergies.  

Love,

Isabella

Photograph: Pinterest