Deb Mell signA week before the ball drop in Times Square and other traditions observed to welcome the new year, I talked to my friend Joanne on the phone.

“This is going to be your year,” she told me with conviction.

She listened without judgment so many times this past year, times when my heart was heavy or when I felt very unsure of myself. The actual phrase she used sounded like the Year of the Rooster or the Year of the Rat in Chinese Zodiac parlance. She told me 2015 was going to be the Year of Deb.

Inspired by her pronouncement, I made a Year of Deb poster for my office, which I hung just to the right of my desk. It showcased a favorite piece of art and my intention to have a very satisfying and fulfilling year.

I assumed that surrounding myself with encouragement was my responsibility, but I noticed myself looking for signs from the universe that supported this notion.

Last week, when I was driving home from errands, I turned at the corner of Wilson and Sacramento, as I do basically every time I come home. I wasn’t sure I was seeing correctly, but I could have sworn two small yard signs bearing my name, were planted in the corner lot.

Is this for real? I wondered. I pass this spot almost every day, and I generally introduce myself by this shortened version of Deborah. Seeing this deb sign, like Joanne’s prediction, made me feel that 2015 is going to be my year.

A day after I first glimpsed the sign, despite a nasty wind chill, I trudged out with my camera to inspect it. Yes, indeed, the sign bore my name. It was simply a campaign tool for local candidate, but I chose to attach extra significance to seeing my name on a neighbor’s lawn. A couple days later, a friend emailed to tease me about my name being on signs all over town.

Well, my name is not exactly plastered all over town, but I expect I’d find quite a few deb signs within the 33rd ward. When I studied the sign after my initial drive-by, I saw that the last name Mell was displayed in small print on the bottom and that the placard was decorated with light blue stripes and a spattering of red stars, in the style of the city’s official flag.

Of course, I thought, Deb Mell is seeking re-election as alderman of my ward. The signs will probably be up through February 24th when the elections will be held.

For the last several days, I’ve noticed getting excited every time I drive past MY sign. I know I’m not the deb referred to in the sign, but I’d like to think that the sign is for me.

People do this all the time. We can choose to be uplifted by all sorts of circumstances. When a new checkout line opens up at a crowded store and you happen to be in the right spot to be first in the new line, don’t you feel good? Or, when you lose a cell phone or cherished scarf and remember when you last had it and return to the location and find it waiting for you — don’t you feel destined for good fortune?

Seeing my name on a sign that I pass every day at the beginning of what I want to think of as the Year of Deb is no small thing.