Today, Mercury is in retrograde and it came for my library chi… and my keyboard.
Picture this: my laptop suddenly flips into full-on CAPS LOCK, I couldn’t scroll, completely frozen, and then when I click to unlock caps—everything starts coming out in lowercase. Opposite world.
If that isn’t a metaphor for how Mercury in retrograde feels in a library, I don’t know what is. And really? Do we need this cosmic chaos right in the middle of Summer Reading? Absolutely not!
Miscommunication Central
Retrograde is famous for messing with communication, and you can feel it everywhere:
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“You never told me about the due date!”
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“Wait—you thought I was covering storytime?”
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17 people show up for a meeting room no one actually reserved.
You've got 50 piles of phone messages and no one is emailing you.
Tech Gremlins Everywhere
When Mercury is spinning backward, it’s like the library’s chi gets knocked off balance. Suddenly:
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The catalog freezes at the exact moment the line is longest.
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Self-check machines decide they’ve had enough of humanity.
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The Wi-Fi has gone on a vacation.
Patience (and Humor) Saves the Day
The truth is, Mercury retrograde is basically the universe telling us to slow down, double-check, and breathe. It’s like a cosmic post-it note that says:
“Your chi is a bit wobbly. Re-center.”
Sometimes, the only way through is with an eye roll and a well-timed snack.
How to Keep Your Library Chi in Balance
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Confirm program details twice: especially dates during summer reading.
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Keep paper backups for anything you truly need for example event guest lists.
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Assume tech will betray you and plan accordingly, and it will you know it.
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Laugh. A lot. Preferably with people who also know what it’s like to fight with a printer (yes we are kindred souls!).
Mercury will be in retrograde until mid August. Until then, if your library chi feels completely out of whack, remember: sometimes the fault really is in our stars.
Be gentle with yourself during these retrograde weeks. Add a little extra self-care to your day—take five minutes to breathe, play your favorite song on repeat, and keep a water bottle nearby. A little kindness (to yourself and others) goes a long way when the universe is doing its cosmic spin cycle.
Stay aligned if you can,
the Compassionate Librarian
A fun video that gives an explanation of Mercury in Retrograde and what to do and not to do.
