When I was twenty years old, I dropped out of college for a few years to explore some personal interests—acting, the healing arts, and the west coast of the United States. One of those summers, I lived in a small town in Williams, Oregon amongst some fascinating people, including an astrologer.

      I had always had some interest in the topic since the day as a tween when me and my dad hopped on the Metro North Railroad from New Haven, Connecticut to New York City where we had tickets to go to a Nicks Basketball Game at The Garden.

On that over-crowded train ride, my dad and I were stuck in the back of the train standing with a lady who was talking to us about “the planets.” It was my first experience with astrology and I was wide-eyed and curious about the topic. 

Fast forward to that summer I spent in Williams, Oregon…I decided to pay for an official astrology reading with Shel—I even remember her name. She told me something that has stayed with me my whole life. (Now, whether or not psychic readings influence the way we see the world or the way we see the world influences the psychic readings is beyond me, but one thing I know for sure is that if the insights help us in life, then no harm is done.)

During the reading, Shel told me that until I find a meaningful way to give back in the world, I will always feel unaccomplished.

“Unaccomplished?!” What a thing to tell an impressionable, young lady, right?

I spent the next 35 years going after what I consider to be a successful career, yet I always had this strange feeling that I hadn’t quite arrived.

There was always a voice in my head that asked: “What is that ‘thing’ that you are going to do that is going to help others and fill you with satisfaction?” I tried soup kitchens and nursing homes and political activism…a variety of things. Sadly, nothing resonated.