Fall Talk: There's Something About Libras

Today’s my birthday. I’ve been told I’m a textbook Libra — the air sign represented by scales, who love diplomacy and hate decisions. If we have to make a diplomacy-related decision, we simply combust.

I didn’t think I cared about astrology until a rumor swirled last month that our zodiac signs might have been wrong. Suddenly, the prospect of becoming a Virgo gave me a knot in my stomach. Do Virgos order fries with their salads for balance? Have they ever apologized for holding the door for someone just to avoid an imaginary conflict? Do they agree with this statement: “I am agreeable”?

It turned out to be a big celestial misunderstanding, but it also held up a mirror asking why I cared so much about being a Libra. There was something about those silly scales that I was scared to lose (besides sharing a sign with Gwyneth Paltrow). It felt like a zodiac lobotomy.

My Libra tendencies show up in big and small ways. In conversation, I instinctively match your energy to keep the harmony — or counter it to balance things out. When Brendan and I were planning our wedding, my “brief” was classic with a wink (because too much classic felt boring, and too much wink felt chaotic). My go-to outfit is a black T-shirt with off-white pants and a matching belt-and-shoe combo. You get the idea.

I was a notorious people-pleaser for many years, a classic Libra trope. In college, my friends would ask me to edit their papers (they called it the “Max Machine”), and I’d happily oblige while my own assignment was a blinking cursor.

I ran far and fast from conflict — until I learned that running from the snowball only makes it bigger. I also conflated having an opinion with creating conflict, because the mere thought of someone disagreeing felt terrifying. You can imagine the self-talk required to start a Substack where I share opinions every week.

So here I am at 36 with a lot of opinions, a closet full of black T-shirts, and a crippling fear that you won’t like this newsletter (because old habits die hard).

Same time next year?

Thanks for reading The Gift of Gab, a newsletter from the desk of Max — a brand marketer in LA who loves niche pop culture references, research rabbit holes, and rearranging every surface in my home. If you enjoyed this post, tap the heart so others can find it, and subscribe to keep gabbing.

More from my Fall Talk series, where we small-talk about autumnal things: