Take a break, y'all.

Happy birthday, Geminis! As you enter your birthday season, it’s a great time to take stock, to slow down before the wild ride that is the rest of the year. As someone living under a mutable, changeable sign, switching things up shouldn't feel too difficult. You're all about novelty. You are the end of spring and the beginning of summer, a time when all that’s been growing in secret bursts out and flowers.

Which is why your birthday might feel a tad overwhelming. As people who tend to thrive on intellectual stimulation, Geminis are flexible and open-minded. But that can mean you struggle at times to know how to proceed. Should you celebrate and throw a birthday party with all the people you love, even at the end of a pandemic? Should you worry about a new number, a new year, and what it might bring? Should you sit tight and wait this one out?

Gemini...take a break. (Or as we'd say in Texas, break time, y'all!) For yourself. Just like the twins Castor and Pollux in your star sign, you deserve to have someone watching out for you, interceding so you don’t burn out. Even if there's no one else around, you can be that person for yourself. Last year was tough. Take a moment to breathe deeply, fill yourself with air (after all, Gemini is an air sign!), and discover where the calm is hiding. What’s buried under the surface of your life? What's been repressed during these groundhog days of remote work or unending shifts? What dreams are ready to flower in the coming months?

And if you’ve already been caring for yourself, congratulations! Keep up the good work, and keep an eye out for opportunities to give back. As someone who sees the good in others, who is able to shine a light into any situation, you can be a beacon of joy wherever you go. And it doesn’t take much. Maybe a friend needs an encouraging word. Send likes or tips out to creators who are inspiring you. Be generous to your servers when you’re eating out or dining in. Make a donation to your local food bank or animal rescue. And while you’re doing so, pay attention to which generosities made you glow. Those are usually the things that we’re passionate about, where our unique skills are waiting to be utilized.

Those talents are yours, Gemini. Own them! But don’t get complacent. Ask yourself how you can harness your skills in new ways. Ways that affirm your true self and that benefit the world. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to look for hobbies and skills that can provide passive income streams. What are you passionate about, Gemini? Let yourself dream big. Visualize your dream coming true, from the first seed of a suggestion, through the start up struggles and long-term planning, all the way through to its realization. Ask your dream how it can support you. How you can support it. And then follow those promptings. Take a step towards a dream that comes true.

If you’re not sure what your dream is, or even how to start, brainstorm. Do something that feels a little wild. A little surprising. Play. Experiment. Maybe this is the moment to write your first story and share it on Vocal. Enter a challenge, especially one that feels daunting. It’s not a challenge if it’s easy, after all! Maybe you need to take an online class, or borrow a zillion how-to books from the library. Whatever it is, let yourself have fun. And enjoy this time of reflection, rest, and reimagining.