Monthly Oracle Forecast for July

Greetings all!

Someone recently randomly mentioned “Mercury in retrograde” and said to be mindful and do your best. Then I got an email from Colette Baron-Reid with her July forecast and a message to stay close to what truly nourishes us.

“July is a packed energetic month!

The first half of the month, especially, feels big. There may be moments that feel tense, disappointing, or even a little shocking.

July includes a Mercury retrograde in Cancer, making it a month that's worthy of your attention. Things left unfinished may resurface. Conversations, relationships, or situations you thought were behind you may ask for another look.

While we may find ourselves witnessing things that feel unfair or confronting, our energy is better spent staying connected to the people who matter most, contributing in meaningful ways, and choosing our battles wisely.

This isn't about bypassing reality or pretending everything is fine. It's about being smart, staying grounded, and asking yourself, How can I contribute? How can I stay out of unnecessary drama?

There's also a deeper theme running through this month around partnership, connection, and discovering what truly feels purposeful and aligned.”

Stay grounded, avoid drama, and a find a way to contribute!

Image: https://www.colettebaronreid.com/resources/pick-a-card/ 

Football Smash Cocktail

Greetings all!

Are you following the FIFA World Cup? Here is the Football Smash cocktail to help you stay hydrated for the remaining matches.

Recipe and image: https://www.totalwine.com/cocktail-recipes/football-smash 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 parts Sauvignon Blanc
• 1/2 parts agave syrup
• 2 strawberries
• Handful of mint 

Directions 

• Muddle mint and strawberry in the bottom of a rocks glass
• Add agave and Sauvignon Blanc
• Stir until well mixed
• Top with ice and the remaining Sauvignon Blanc 

Bon Appetit! Let me know how you like it!

TripAdvisor Best of the Best: 2026 Travelers' Choice Awards

1. Bali, Indonesia

2. London, United Kingdom

3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

4. Hanoi, Vietnam

5. Paris, France

6.Rome, Italy

7. Marrakesh, Morocco

8. Bangkok, Thailand

9. Crete, Greece

10. New York City, United States

Source (and more!): https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations

Dear Anxiety….

Greetings all! 

If you check in with yourself right now, do you feel anxious? So many people have constant background anxiety. But what if anxiety is trying to do you a favor? 

Image: https://www.dreamstime.com/funny-kawaii-i-scream-cartoon-anxiety-quote-sticker-sublimation-print-image375751609

Here are some CALM thoughts on anxiety:

"It’s easy to think of anxiety as the #1 enemy, but what if, instead, you thought of it like an alert system letting you know something needs your attention?

Acknowledging and reframing your experience of anxiety often helps you slow it down and regain control.

When anxiety feels like a runaway train, pull the brakes with these three simple phrases:

💙“Anxiety is trying to keep me safe”

💙“I can listen to the message of my body”

💙“I’m here now”

Remember: Sometimes, anxiety can be an important (and even helpful) experience.

Reflect: What message might your anxiety be trying to share with you right now?

Reframe: 'I hate feeling anxious.' -> 'I can take the lesson from anxiety and let it go'."

Breathe and have a great week!

Time Confetti

Greetings all! 

I recently came across the term “Time Confetti” – and I thought how cute and envisioned something pink and sparkly! Wrong! 

Karen Kwong, an executive and leadership coach, aptly describes time confetti as “tiny chunks of time here and there, in the form of minutes and seconds, lost to non-productive multi-tasking,” all in pursuit of feeling more productive. My readers know how I feel about multi-tasking: “I was not created a Swiss Army knife to multitask like this!” 

Here is some food for thought: data shows that an average desk worker changes desktop applications every six minutes. What meaningful tasks can you really accomplish in six minutes?

The term 'time confetti' was actually coined by author Brigid Shulte to describe using free time to do little bits of seemingly inconsequential tasks. 

In her book “Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time,” Brigid writes, "As work weeks get longer and leisure time shrinks, people are becoming sicker, more distracted, absent, unproductive, and less innovative.” 

How true – and sad! - about shrinking leisure time! You might feel you are getting more done, then you use those time pockets to find and do more work, and voila - interruptions now become your new normal. 

For example, if you have a free hour, would you relax guilt-free with a cup of tea and a good book or would you feel the need to do something productive and clear some of your to-dos? 

Time confetti might manifest in: 

·        Inability to relax during break times

·        Always feeling switched on

·        Constantly rushing from one thing to the next

·        Decreased ability to focus

·        Anxiety when you’re not “busy”

·        Stronger tendency towards unproductive multitasking

·        Feeling like you never have enough time

o   This is actually known as 'time poverty' or 'time famine' and was researched by Leslie Perlow in 1999 

If you need to feel busy at all times and/or are anxious and dissatisfied when you are not, you might be experiencing time confetti. When you try to do “everything, all at once, all the time,”  then you are never in the present here and now, and your brain does not rest. 

To fight time confetti, you can be more intentional and honest about your use of time, block time for uninterrupted work, schedule intentional breaks, protect your leisure time, and learn to say NO. Do not mistake movement for achievement. 

Rest/leisure is not a luxury, it is a necessity. We should not feel that we need to be productive 24/7. 

Now – how about that cup of tea and a book? 

Sources:

• https://hubstaff.com/blog/time-confetti/
• https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/health/a38696205/time-confetti/
• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-18/time-confetti-is-making-you-work-harder-and-relax-less/104875442?future=true&
• Image: https://deepai.org/

Poem of the Week: Sea Fever

 
Image: https://deepai.org/

Sea Fever (1902) 

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over. 

~ John Masefield (1878 – 1967)
Read on: https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/sea-fever

Selection of Funnies: Perfectly Timed Nature Photos

I wish I was half as calm as this frog at any given time.

This lizard holds the record for reptile pole vaulting. 

"And then, listen to this, he said, 'I'm not texting other girls. I promise.'"

That giraffe must have really wanted to say "what's up?" to the passengers on that plane.

When your food arrives at a restaurant and you start eating before realizing that nobody else got their meals yet.

When "Happy Monday!" emails start rolling in before you've even had your coffee.

"Excuse me, ma'am, may I speak to the manager?"

It's day one of my plant-based diet! I’m doing GREAT.

When you make eye contact with the person you’ve been gazing at from across the room... Hello, beautiful.

Source (including captions and more!): https://www.countryliving.com/life/g35653074/funny-animal-pictures