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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2018)
6A FEATURES TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE Childless and happy Dear Readers: In a column I do. Do I worry that I will be last month, I posed a question: lonely one day without them? “If you had to do it all over Sometimes. That said, go visit again, would you have kids?” a facility where elderly people In yesterday’s column, we reside and see how many have heard from parents who said yes their children visiting. You — the largest group, at 77 per- would be surprised at how few cent of the responses. get a lot of attention. DEAR Today I’d like to share Pioneer, Califor- nia: As a 65-year- some responses from ANNIE old man, I have never people belonging to regretted my choice the second-most com- mon group (12 per- to remain childless. cent of respondents): My childhood was those who didn’t have not exactly rosy, and children and wouldn’t I always feared that I change a thing. Check would act toward any Lane back tomorrow to hear Annie offspring in the same Creators Syndicate Inc. from the next group. manner my mother Sacramento: I treated me and my two had my tubes tied on my 30th siblings. This has proved to birthday, and I’m now 66. I be valid, because when I have was afraid I might be the kind had relationships with women of mother my mom was, and I who have children, it has wanted a career full of adven- taken extreme attention to not tures. I had a life full of amaz- respond in that manner. In the ing experiences — and I have meantime, I have had a won- no regrets. I enjoy my friends’ derful life, without the con- grandchildren but then get to stant negotiations that seem to be part and parcel of the first return to my life. Florida: I am 64 years old couple of decades of parenting. and chose not to have children. My mother often accused me of I have zero regrets. Most of my being selfish in not having kids, closest friends made the same and I was happy to plead guilty choice and feel the same way to that charge. THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2018 By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. No Kidding: I’m 64 years old. When I was in my 20s, I decided to have a tubal liga- tion. It was difficult to find a doctor who’d do the proce- dure. Like many people, the doctor assumed that I’d change my mind. Despite the women’s movement, there was strong social pressure to want and have children. Luckily, I was able to finally find a reproduc- tive clinic that offered tubal ligations. I know I made the right decision. To me, peo- ple who decide to have chil- dren so they’ll have someone to take care of them in their old age are deciding to become parents for an incredibly selfish reason. Plus, there’s no guar- antee that your child will be able or willing to care for you when you need it. To those who thought my life wouldn’t be complete without children: You were wrong. I have a lov- ing husband, a loving extended family, great friends, a fulfill- ing job, strong religious faith and deep gratitude for having a fulfilling life. And to those young women who are sensing that they don’t want children, I’d suggest: Trust your gut. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Becoming you is a never-ending process. There’s something you once would have thought of as a creative risk that now seems like a natural part of who you are. Acknowledge your growth. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The irony is, now that you’ve stopped working for a favorable response, you’ve fallen into a state of extreme favor, to the extent that it almost seems you can do no wrong. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Would you believe some people find talking harder than physical work? Though you gravitate toward connec- tion, community and conversation, you’ll be dealing with people who don’t. They’ll be glad you came along. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You are feeling rather sure of yourself, and why shouldn’t you be? You’ve put in the time, the practice and the professional hours, and you’re about due for some serious payback. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You probably won’t be able to shake the sneaking suspicion that a move in any direction will land you in a place that’s better than where you currently stand. You’re right. This isn’t bad, but better is on the horizon. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s not what you know; it’s when you say it. And keep in mind that for some bits of knowledge, the best time may very well be never. Anyway, you won’t be sorry you used discretion. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). A place for every- thing and everything in its place may work for home organization or a desk drawer, but it doesn’t work for your heart. Emotions are messy and sometimes defy compartmental- ization. FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll be the great mediator today, and your methods are pretty straightforward. You will ask good questions, listen carefully to the answers and get right to the crux of the problem. Then you sort it out. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Maturity, compassion, selflessness — they need no reward. These are transcendent ways of operating in the world, and you don’t have to wear the behavior long to figure out that it’s just who you are. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Just as core strength is a foundation of overall fitness, character strength is the base from which a good life is built. It’s pretty simple to fortify your strength of character. Just do the right thing. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Feeling good will happen one list item at a time. So take out that long page of directives and start working it. You’ll be amazed at how ticking off the smallest item can lift your spirit high. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The recurring question has to do with what you owe your loved ones, your community and the world at large. It’s actually the same thing on the small, personal scale as it is on the vast one. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 10). While a big beautiful life often happens by following through with conscious and deliberate inten- tions, there have also been times when you’ve overthought it and missed the mark. You’ll be glad to know that an unusual number of happy accidents and boons of dumb luck will aug- ment your fortunes this solar return. Gemini and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 50, 30, 33, 7 and 16.
