It’s written in the stars

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An interest in star signs is worldwide. A google search of ‘star signs’ brought up 126 000 000 results in 0.15 seconds. You can find out what your star sign is, famous people who share your sign, get a description of your personality, find out who you are or are not compatible with, and what the future holds for you.

But how accurate do you think your star sign is, and how accurate are the predictions?

Are they any more accurate than a teacher’s predictions of a child’s future?

Think back to your school days and the comments written by your teachers on your report cards. Have you lived up, or down, to their expectations?

Comments sometimes described me as conscientious and said that I worked hard. At other times I needed to work harder, and was told that I could do better, that I needed to concentrate more on … (insert subject name – any will do). Comments in opposition, like the two sides of a coin or the twins of my star sign Gemini.

However teachers do not always know, and cannot always predict future life journeys of their students.  Consider how inaccurate were teachers’ predictions for people as diverse as Einstein, Edison, Churchill, Darwin and Pasteur who showed little promise while at school. Disney was accused of lacking imagination, and Salvador Dali of daydreaming. John Lennon’s teachers were not impressed when he answered “happy” in response to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The list of successful people with unforeseen potential is long. I’m sure you know stories of many others from all walks of life. Maybe yours is one!

Over at the Carrot Ranch this week, the flash fiction prompt by Charli Mills is to: In 99 words (no more, no less) focus on the personality traits of a character informed by the zodiac.

Mine is not exactly about the zodiac, but about another form of prediction equally as accurate.

As expected

A lawyer, a doctor and a journalist walked into a bar, ‘Class of ’99’ emblazoned on their backs.  

Talk flowed freely.

When someone mentioned old ‘four-eyes’ Proffet, laughter erupted.

“Thought he was a prophet,” they chorused.

“Mark my stars,” the lawyer mimicked, wagging his finger. “You need to learn to be less argumentative.”

The doctor peered over her glasses and giggled, “And you miss, will never amount to anything!”

“Remember Prophet’s favourite, ‘most likely to succeed’?” said the journalist. “Saw Daniel last week, handing out horrorscopes, on corner of Main and Black. Hardly recognised him. Poor sod.”

Thank you

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts about any aspect of this post, including my flash fiction

I’ll leave you with a song about a star someone was born under. Not my star, and not the zodiac either, but a popular song when I was growing up.

I was born under a wandering star  sung by Lee Marvin in Paint Your Wagon

14 thoughts on “It’s written in the stars”

  1. writersideup

    Norah, I’m totally not one for believing in things like horoscopes,but your comparison is a really good one! The sad, sorry truth is that many educators can’t or simply don’t see a child’s potential or their gifts because they aren’t looking or don’t want to or have the time to look. You now becoming aware of Dot Day, you would enjoy hearing Peter Reynolds (author of The Dot, the book that inspired the day) explain how he was in school and how a teacher was key in his creative future. The link is on my Dot Day post…actually, the video is there and that’s where he describes it. It’s a wonderful video to watch 🙂

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  2. Sherri

    Oh I love this Norah…what a wonderful flash. So much for poor old ‘most likely to succeed’ eh? I remember getting something like ‘Sherri would do better if she concentrated more and did a little less day-dreaming.’ Say no more 😉

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  3. Pingback: Born Under Stars « Carrot Ranch Communications

  4. Charli Mills

    What an apt comparison–horoscopes and report cards! Predictions can never be accurate and are actually frightening in that they can be so wrong. Your flash fiction conveys that essence beautifully, humorously. I especially like how it begins as if it were to be a wandering bar joke! Did you mean “horror”scopes or is that a typo? At first I thought it was to be funny, but then I wasn’t sure. 🙂 Paint Your Wagon is my second favorite Lee Marvin movie. Cat Ballou is my all-time favorite. Thanks for taking time to post!

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    1. Norah Post author

      Thanks Charlie. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I did mean ‘horrorscopes’! And all your other interpretations were just as I had hoped so thank you for that! I’m pleased it worked.

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  5. TanGental

    Oh Norah, Lee Marvin, what a (non) voice for singing. makes Dylan seem tuneful! That so takes me back to the small transistor radio in my family kitchen and the fights between Mum (who was addicted to Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole and Sinatra) and my dad who loved this for its sentiment. Great flash and to the point post. Funnily enough, as part of my on going campaign to have all the family’s photos digitalised I found a book put together for my fortieth birthday and two school report from my primary school. One, when I was 11, in year six has ‘Geometry D Utterly confused in exam. Term’s work B’ Old Mr Hole was spot on about the ‘utterly confused’ piece. Sums up a lot of my life.

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    1. Norah Post author

      Your Mum had good taste. Both those men had beautiful voices. Agree with you about Lee Marvin and Dylan, though I think Lee Marvin’s voice works well with this one. Interesting that it was Mr Hole that placed you in that ‘hole’. I like thinking about the appropriateness of names to characters; like the other teacher Mr Chalk. You’ve never appeared particularly confused to me! 🙂

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  7. Bec

    Great FF, Nor! I suppose we have all at some point considered what we have been told we are by others: horoscopes and report cards are a great example. I wonder how much that may shape the individual? Thanks for the thought fodder!

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