Letters to Cleo Street

“There’s a great scene about old English universities at the start of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. It’s nothing like Cleo Street, where people can walk on the grass and even women can go to the Pub & use the neighborhood university libraries!

Nancy”

We don’t discriminate on Cleo Street, yo!

“Dear Miss Cleo,

When I was a sophomore in high school my family went to London and I fell in love. If I wasn’t so afraid of leaving my family and life here I would live in London. Do you think lvoe can hold you back? How do you know you are living the life you were meant to?”

Love can change your mind, it can cause you to think twice, it can make you agonize over decisions… but in the end it always sets you free. We’re not so sure about destiny around these parts, but we do know that the life you are living is a life, and that counts for a lot. You may not know if it’s right, but what’s right, anyway?

“Dear Miss Cleo,

I don’t do this very often. Snail Mail is so positively quaint. Your name sounds like one of those telephone psychics, no offense.

Love, Ryan”

None taken, Ryan! The cards (tarot or post, it doesn’t matter) don’t lie, my friend.

“Hey Cleo,

It’s San Girolamo. Just wanted to send along that more-recent photo of me you requested. You’ll notice the gift you gave me last Christmas; I’m still just ‘skull over heels’ in love with it!

Best,

Jerome.”

My how you’ve grown, Giro! Glad you like the gift—two heads are better than one, we always say.

“Miss Cleo,

I am getting married in June and trying to decide on my last name. It sounds terrible hyphenated. I like my last name better, but I want to be a Mrs.!”

Well, you could always be a Mrs. and still keep your last name! We say go for it, girl!

“Hello Miss Cleo!

I hope you enjoy this postcard. Your project sounds very interesting and I will certainly be checking back to see how its progressing. Have a lovely day! - M”

Thanks for the note, M, and the awesome solar system postcard!

“Dear Miss Cleo,

Do you like to visit churches when you travel? I do. I don’t remember this one much, other than I want interested that in Lviv there are so many different sects and orders claiming a part of this place’s history. The outer facade does look so 18th century neoclassical. But yellow?? Miss Cleo, who do you travel? Everywhere I go, I immerse myself so thoroughly that I imagine living there, through fall, winter, mud, greyness. Postcards never depict that. Where will I head next?”

Wherever it is, please send us a note when you get there! We travel because we’re curious—that curiosity about surroundings is important. When things start to feel a little stale, change your scenery. We love your idea about picturing the mud and greyness; it gives us some perspective.

“Dear Miss Cleo,

Priest: A lot of people think the opposite of love is hate; really the opposite of love is selfishness. Love is an action, not how you feel. It’s what you do. Honor thy God, love they neighbor as thyself.

Mom: true love is not selfish. Love has different intensities.

Grandpa R: Love is very expansible. Love of country, love of ideals, young love. It’s flexible. They say once you’ve found true love, you know it. It’s all enveloping passion.”

How very beautiful. Today, let us choose love over fear.

“Miss Cleo - If it weren’t for this famous stone, not many people would have heard of Gubbio. You might want to find some dinosaur bones in your backyard—or at least borrow some from a famous museum for a while. It’s good P.R.

N”

Thanks for the marketing tip, N—are you available for consulting?

STEP RIGHT UP FOLKS, COME ONE, COME ALL. WITNESS THE REMARKABLE, THE UNBELIEVABLE, THE ANCIENT…

WE HAVE A T-REX!

Interesting side note: our dining room table is apparently the Rosetta Stone. They are identical.

Today comes a letter from an old fan. Apparently from London.

“I miss the Miss Cleo commercials on TV with her reading tarot cards. I really do.”

We do, too, mate… we do, too.