Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 19): Pushing all the right buttons may make the thing go, but life is about more than effectiveness. The wins will happen beyond the bounds of the mechanical. Personality doesn’t just count; it overshadows the rest. Taurus (April 20-May 20): When you’re used to having a person’s full attention, it’s a little jarring to suddenly have to share it. Of course you understand that others have a life outside of knowing you, but there are times when the realization is more jarring. Gemini (May 21-June 21): Don’t settle for whatever mood befalls the environment. Take charge. Set the emotional temperature. You know how to do this. Sometimes you just forget to command that talent. Cancer (June 22-July 22): Doing the same thing repeatedly can make you masterful, but it’s a process. Dips happen. In the lows it may seem that the role has lost its luster. Reinvigorate. Seek inspiration. Or just take a break. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll be delighted by what falls into your field of vision. This happens more to you than to others because you’re paying such close attention. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): This thing going on in your life right now is really precious, but it’s not announcing itself as such. If it were condensed in a movie scene, it would happen in one beautiful, breathtaking moment.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Though the cosmic backdrop is complicated, so are you, and something felicitous is likely to form out of the unique chemistry of this day. You’ll magnetize a new friend. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): Discomfort is a requirement of growth. When a pursuit is extremely attractive, the discomfort is less noticeable. You move through it unthinkingly as the goal draws you ever nearer. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Financial debts are the easiest kind to figure out. It’s the emotional and karmic tabulations that can seem like impossible math to solve. It’s about to get a whole lot easier on you, though. A debt will be forgiven. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): When you love someone, you figure out ways to help, support and maybe, once in a while, dazzle that person. The last effort takes the sort of planning that is favored for you today. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ve an interest that could be retired. Were you to decide to go in this direction, a clutter of material possessions would go, too. Paring down will liberate new energy. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): Even the simplest action is executed through a multistep process. Instinct kicks in first, uncontrollably so. Next is thought. Some thoughts are also uncontrollable, but most can be managed when you assert yourself. DEAR ABBY >> I am a 54-yearold single woman who recently started dating again after four years of total abstinence. My two adult daughters, ages 18 and 22, live at home with me.

My dilemma: I am smitten, to say the least, with an attractive, supportive and very loving man. I have invited him over and introduced him to the girls, which went well until the other night, when my 22-year-old overheard us being intimate (her bedroom is next to mine). There was no screaming or anything lewd, no nudity or PDA, but I happen to have a slightly noisy bed.

She now refuses to sleep in her room and sent me a text telling me she wants to live with her dad because she thinks it’s disgusting. I’m not sure how to feel. On one hand, I think she needs to grow up, but at the same time, I don’t want to be the cause of her discomfort.

I explained to her that I’m happy after being alone for so long and perhaps she could be happy for me. My partner thinks she’s jealous of our new relationship. The 18-year-old couldn’t care less.

My question is, am I behaving inappropriately? Don’t I have just as much right to enjoy my home as they do? — Getting back to it in New

York

DEAR GETTING BACK >> I can see how your young adult daughter might be uncomfortable being confronted with her mother’s sexual activity, to the musical accompaniment of squeaking bed springs. Most people have a hard time accepting their parents as sexual beings. You didn’t mention whether your daughter’s father would welcome this daughter moving in with him. If he’s all for it, that would be the way to deal with her discomfort.

DEAR ABBY >> I’ve been happily married for 13 years. Over the last few years we have experienced our brushes with the prospect of infidelity, but we remain committed to each other. While our marriage is a healthy and happy one, our commitment to each other has recently come into question, and we have been fighting more than usual.

Recently, a good friend of mine since almost childhood — and brief lover in my early 20s — with whom I have maintained friendly contact over the years, propositioned me. He said he has never fallen out of love with me and will continue to wait. I cut off my relationship with him without agreeing to an affair (or anything else) and have moved on with my marriage.

My concern is, now I feel this urge to let my husband know about the exchange, mostly to reinforce my commitment to him and maintain transparency. But part of me is afraid that bringing it up will cause more upset, and maybe I should keep it to myself. What should I do?

— Needing some guidance

DEAR NEEDING >> Not all of our urges are meant to be acted upon. Be honest about your motive. What do you think telling your husband will accomplish? Will it bring you closer to each other, or remind him that you are attractive to other men and make him jealous? Will it anger him enough to want to punch your old friend and former lover in the nose? If this is a possibility, some things are better left unsaid.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.