Horoscopes

I'm not the superstitious type, but even I have to admit that sometime, this is more than just a coincidence. I started out reading horoscopes just for kicks, to see what "horrors" my day would bring, or what "good fortune" I had to look forward to. And when I first started reading them, they were pretty funny. General and broad, they were vague enough to touch some aspect of my day, but none of them had the real ring of truth to them. Before, I always used to read the horoscopes in the Honolulu Advertiser, E Section "Island Life", 2nd page, right next to the "Ask Annie" column, and above the Sudoku puzzle. But I recently discovered the Horoscopes sect ion on my Yahoo! mail homepage. The first time I checked the new and improved online version, clicking on the Sagittarius button, I didn't think much of it: just another random "prediction" filled with generalizations that could apply to anyone, and in fact had to apply to 1/12 of the people out there reading this. However, I would find myself passing my mouse over the horoscope tab, letting the full message expand, and glancing over the words for a second or two before continuing with my mouse on its path to preview my email. But over time, that second or two turned into a minute or two while my mind roamed over the day's events. And invariably, I would usually find one or two happenings in my day that could possibly be related to the horoscope. But one, while a little freaked out over what my prediction said, I took a step back and looked at the way predictions really work. If you truly believe in horoscopes, you will always find some part of your day that can relate the horoscope, because you can twist the way you interpret situations to make them follow what you horoscope said what happen. Additionally, if you believe in horoscopes, and read them in the morning, they may influence any decisions you make later in the day, therefore making a self-fulfilling prophecy, leading you to believe that your horoscope actually came true. And if you don't believe in horoscopes, no matter how much you day might accidentally coincide with your horoscope, your mind will refuse to believe that any "predictions" came true.
My horoscope for today says, "New information may cause you to redefine your values -- and your behavior." And if I was superstitious, I would say that is talking about my recent revelations about horoscopes, causing me no longer to believe in them.