Saying Goodbye (Temporarily) to Stability

I woke up this morning to the quiet hum of winter in Michigan—snow finally not blanketing the roof of the house I’ve called home, the kind of stability I clung to through some of my darkest days. But today feels different. Electric. Like the universe just lit a match under my feet and whispered, Go.

This isn’t just any year. 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse—a rare cycle that rolls around only every 60 years, the last time being 1966. In Chinese astrology, the Horse embodies freedom, action, independence, and fearless forward motion. Paired with Fire, the blazing, yang energy of the sun at its peak, it’s all about impulse, passion, transformation, and galloping toward breakthroughs without looking back. Horses hate being reined in; they thrive on open roads, wide horizons, and the thrill of what’s next. Sound familiar?

For me, it’s no coincidence that this is the exact season I’m trading solid walls for a travel trailer, Michigan’s familiar streets for the long haul west to Yellowstone National Park, and the comfort of “settled” for six months of seasonal work, and the vast unknown beyond October.

The stars aren’t just aligning—they’re stampeding.

The Cosmic Green Light: Why Now Feels Destined

The Fire Horse energy is intense and urgent. It’s motion over inertia, courage over fear. Sources like astrologers and Chinese zodiac experts describe it as a year of highs—high visibility, high accountability, but also high momentum. It pushes you to blow up routines that no longer serve, to trust your gut, and to move boldly even when the path isn’t fully lit. To give you some perspective (which I gained this morning), the year 1966 hosted some major events in the world.

• 3 times the number of American soldiers died in Vietnam compared to 1965.

• China’s Cultural Revolution began.

• Robert C. Weaver became the first African American appointed to a U.S. presidential cabinet as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

• The landmark Miranda v. Arizona case established that police must inform suspects of their rights, creating the "Miranda Warning”.

• The Soviet Union's Luna 9 achieved the first controlled soft landing on the Moon in February. Later, NASA's Surveyor 1 became the first American spacecraft to do the same. NASA would blast into space 5 times this year.

• Dr. Michael DeBakey implanted the first artificial heart into a human patient in Houston.

Just to name a few. So you can say we’re in for something… transitional this year, around the world.

Layer on Western astrology, and the timing gets louder:

• Neptune re-entered Aries in late January 2026, kicking off a long cycle of inspired new beginnings, dissolving old illusions, and igniting a fresh sense of self.

• Saturn entered Aries fully this month, on February 13, demanding we take responsibility for our dreams and build structures around passion instead of playing it safe.

• Right on Lunar New Year (today!), there’s a Solar Eclipse in Aquarius—a powerful reset around innovation, community, rebellion against the status quo, and stepping into authentic futures. Eclipses close doors to open better ones; this one squares Uranus, shaking up stability in favor of liberation.

It all screams: This is your portal. The terrifying society we’re all navigating—division, uncertainty, noise—feels smaller against this cosmic backdrop. The Fire Horse doesn’t wait for permission; it runs toward freedom. And my dog? She’s already pacing by the door, tail wagging like she knows the adventure is calling too.

From House to Home on Wheels: Letting Go

Saying goodbye to this house isn’t easy. It sheltered me through personal storms—grief, anxiety, the weight of a world that sometimes feels too broken to fix. Stability was my armor. But armor gets heavy. It keeps you safe, but it also keeps you still. Packing up means releasing more than stuff. It’s releasing the idea that peace lives in one place, that love requires roots in soil instead of miles on the road. Our trailer is small, sustainable, and built for us, and our furry co-pilot. Margarita doesn’t care about square footage; she cares about who’s beside her and where the next walk leads.

This move is terrifying. What if the trailer breaks down? What if Yellowstone’s isolation amplifies the loneliness? What if society’s chaos follows me onto the highway? But the Fire Horse energy reminds me: fear is just fuel if you let it propel you forward instead of hold you back. My dog teaches me this daily. Her love is the ultimate fur-mula—unconditional, present, fearless. She doesn’t overthink the destination; she trusts the journey because I’m in it with her. In her eyes, every new trail is a promise of more snuggles, more smells, more life. That’s the peace I’m chasing.

Embracing the Unknown: One Paw in Front of the Other

Yellowstone from May to October—seasonal work, epic hikes, bear-safe trails, starry nights that make the world’s problems feel distant. Then? Who knows. The road south, maybe a winter somewhere warmer, or looping back with new lessons. The unknown used to paralyze me. Now, with the Fire Horse galloping alongside, it excites me.

This isn’t reckless. It’s intentional:

• Sustainable choices: minimal waste, reusable everything, low-impact living.

• Mental health anchors: daily nature rituals, journaling, limiting news doom.

• My dog as emotional compass: her joy is my barometer for peace.

If 2026 is about motion and breakthrough, I’m leaning in. Trading stability for freedom feels like the most hopeful act I can take right now—proof that even in a terrifying world, love (furry, fierce, fur-mula kind) can guide us toward light. To anyone reading this who’s feeling that same pull: listen. The cosmos is cheering for bold moves. Your own fur-mula for love—whether it’s a dog, a dream, or both—might just be waiting on the other side of goodbye.

Where is the unknown calling you this year? I’d love to hear your stories, your fears, your cosmic nudges. Ride your Fire Horse into the Unknown this year, without fear.

We’re all in this gallop together. 🐎🔥🐾

Safe travels,

H, D, M

Not my photos in my post! found them on google :)