Running the Marathon I am the leading runner in a marathon and have almost finished the course when I pass a tree in which a kitten is sitting inside a bird-feeding box. I realise that it cannot get down. I have mixed feelings, but stop to reach up for the kitten, realising this means I probably won’t win the race. Carolyn, Chingford Dear Carolyn, You write that you are married with two school-aged children and are about to begin the final year of a degree course which you plan to follow with teacher training. With such a full schedule, it’s no wonder you feel like you’re running a marathon. Now you have literally almost finished your course. Yet the dream implies that you feel it is not enough just to pass your exams. You have a highly competitive streak and this makes you anxious to get first-class results. Another part of you, however, has an altogether different agenda. Kittens are playful creatures. They represent the ability to simply enjoy living life for its own sake. Birds tend to symbolise things of the mind. So why is this kitten trapped in a bird-feeding box? The dream seems to suggest a subconscious wish to put less energy into nourishing your intellect and more into retrieving your ability to play. Try not to measure success solely in terms of academic achievement. A truly successful person is one who knows how to lead a balanced life. (Sun Taurus, Moon Scorpio)

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