Grab yourself a Baja Blast, pull up a cozy chair and brace yourself. It’s time for Aishwarya’s brilliant (not to mention unsolicited) and 100% astrologically accurate predictions!
… Oops, I can’t predict the future. Sorry to burst your bubble. I’ve always wished I could, though. Until now.
At 7, I would not stop playing with my Magic 8 Ball. Are we going to stay friends? Will my parents finally let me have a sleepover? Am I going to be a pediatrician? I don’t remember why I wanted to be a doctor (as much as I now love Grey’s Anatomy), but I just needed to know what would happen. I believed that knowing the future would give me certainty, and it began with my 8-ball.
At 9, I discovered that I was a Virgo. It immediately became my sole character trait for at least the next two years. I adored Pisces (because my best friend at the time was one), scoffed at Scorpios (because ew!) and teamed up with fellow Earth signs Tauruses and Capricorns. My go-to icebreaker was “When’s your birthday?” for a hot minute. I’d wake up just before my parents to sneak into their room and steal my mom’s phone to check my daily horoscope. Whatever that random astrologer man said on the internet dictated my mood for the day. I clung to the words of each horoscope to convince myself that I was in control.
Turns out, I had no control. My Taurus friend backstabbed me by telling my crush that I liked him. Obviously, that was the day the world ended. The boy in question was a Scorpio (which was probably a red flag anyway). Day after day, I found myself doubting my faith in astrology. What I had thought was written in the stars never became my reality. Astrology, as it turns out, is total BS. Shocking, I know. I was furious at myself for so sincerely believing in something that had completely and utterly failed me.
At 14, however, letting go of my astrology obsession didn’t mean I let go of my obsession with the future. I tried to meticulously plan my four years at Northwood. I had a vision for myself for my senior year to leave a legacy, an impact on my peers (whatever the hell that means). Maybe it really was the Virgo in me, but I continued to crave power over things I could never have power over. It was maddening.
At 17, that vision never materialized. Honestly, I wasn’t even close. But now, I could not be happier that it never did.
The best things that have ever happened to me were never planned. I never planned to be THO Editor to begin with, but then I became online editor-in-chief and finally fit into the puzzle that is Howler. I never planned to apply to the college I’m now going to attend, but I did because of an 11:30 p.m. whim the day of the deadline because I was listening to Taylor Swift country music. I never planned to let go of some friendships I once so deeply cherished, but I’m proud of myself for learning when it’s time to move on.
I’ve finally come to terms with the idea that maybe there is no grand plan lurking behind the scenes of the universe, secretly waiting to unfold. I’ve discovered that life is so much more fun when you simply don’t know what’s next. Don’t let anyone dictate your future—not your parents, not your friends and certainly not some random guy pretending to know the future on the internet. And if you’re looking for comfort in the future? Don’t. Skip the horoscopes and the vision boarding and the overthinking. Maybe drink a Baja Blast instead.
