In the second installment of the popular tale of Miss Sun and Mr. Moon, our stellar heroine seeks professional guidance. She's ambivalent about Mr. Moon's proposal to elope and start a new galactic family. Actually, Miss Sun has her own radical ideas regarding future plans and pursuing her star.

Miss Sun and Mr. Moon II: Reality Bytes Romantasy 

The first installment of "Miss Sun and Mr. Moon: A Romantasy," created a groundswell for a sequel. (Email if you missed the introduction and/or the groundswell - stressdoc@aol.com.) And, of course, dear readers, I am your humble servant and scribe. The opening of our tale depicted the vital roles of Miss Sun and Mr. Moon, especially for the inhabitants of planet Earth. Each celestial creature had their admirers along with legions dependent on their constant and variable presence and energy. People looked to our heavenly heroes for light and illumination, sensual heat and cool detachment, for a shade of vanity and a touch of lunacy. And while both bodies were glad to be a source of energy and inspiration, they also periodically felt burdened or exhausted (especially Miss Sun) by their sense of responsibility and endless giving.

Yet, despite their fans, both had long felt isolated. And then, in the latter part of the 20th century, with the aid of Earthling technology, Miss Sun and Mr. Moon made a celestial connection through cyberspace. They began emailing and Instant Messaging back and forth about their hopes and fears, their histories and fantasies. And over time, the cautions and doubts of these celestial bodies began to dissolve. They had discovered their cosmic soul mate. Waxing poetic, Mr. Moon's beams would fairly dance through the heavens when contemplating connecting their hot and cold, fiery and mysterious natures. The result would be unprecedented: SOULAR FUSION! But in less expansive, waning moments, Mr. Moon often agonized: "What was real? What was virtual?"

Lunar Vision, Solar Doubt

One day, Mr. Moon shared his plan for eloping during the next eclipse. It was time to fulfill their needs and dreams, to break out of the system and be together in real time. They had earned the right to choose and create a new intergalactic world. Initially, Miss Sun was excited. Getting up every day, before the break of dawn, was getting old. Yet despite her fiery nature, Miss Sun had been a more conservative creature than the variable and somewhat elusive Mr. Moon. Perhaps it was not surprising that Miss Sun started having vague misgivings. She promised to reflect on Mr. Moon's rather radical yet, nonetheless, alluring offer. Miss Sun knew there often was a fine line between lunar vision and hallucination.

Over the next few days, Miss Sun seriously considered the proposal. And she found herself getting anxious. She could not deny the signs of stress: Miss Sun was breaking out in a rash of sunspots and, if not running a high temperature, our heavenly heroine was feeling rather feverish. Why was she so concerned and confused? Mr. Moon truly seemed to be her celestial counterpart. With the development of virtual reality on Earth, they could safely leave behind a world in which they had given their all. No one could justly accuse them of recklessly running out on their cosmic commitments.

And what of Mr. Moon? Well he did have a reputation of roaming in space during his off-duty, daylight hours. Allegedly, he'd made rounds in more than one galaxy. (Miss Sun had asked Matt Drudge, the internet reporter, to do a brief background check on her interplanetary paramour. Miss Sun's motto: "I trust you, but I worry.") Of course, Mr. Moon claimed his wandering was just searching for his celestial cybermate. After eons of searching, he knew Miss Sun was meant to be his kindred cohort. Just the other day he had sent the following verse to his cybersweetie:

Well I'm looking for a partner Someone to share that celestial stage She's a gutsy fellow wanderer A travelin light in this New Age!

Like so many others, Miss Sun felt a mysterious, almost magnetic attraction to Mr. Moon's uncommon, almost contradictory persona of gravity, luminosity and lunacy. But with serious rumination and reflection, the clouds of self-doubt gradually began to burn off. Miss Sun had an epiphany! Yes, she needed a sabbatical from the demanding routine. But hitching her star to a moonshe thought it was supposed to be the other way around. But then Miss Sun caught herself. She was looking for more autonomy and less dependency. Our soular sister supported intergalactic gender equality and celestial liberation.

Actually, Miss Sun's reticence had less to do with Mr. Moon than with her own emotional and celestial-existential dilemma. She just wasn't ready to settle down and start a new intergalactic family. Miss Sun had been designing her own fantasy since surfing the internet and World Wide Web. She had become fascinated with the planet Earth's version of stellar creatures. Surprisingly, Miss Sun, despite her power and presence, could be quite starry- eyed. Maybe dissatisfaction with the routine, her fiery personality and fanciful speculations with Mr. Moon made her ripe for a bold career change. Perhaps it was some form of mid-life or "approaching the millenium" madness.

Dreams and Docs

Whatever the reasons, it gradually dawned upon Miss Sun that she wanted to come down to Earth and live amongst its inhabitants. Miss Sun had discovered an analagous, out of this world, mini-universe; her idea of heaven on Earth. That's rightPlanet Hollywood! Miss Sun now had dreams of becoming a movie star, and fantasized about moving to Hollwood or, at least, to LA.

She wanted to have the blazing lights on her this time around. Actually, Miss Sun really wanted to prove she could earn her stardom. She had a burning desire to nurture and express her own creative gifts and talents, not just have followers of her sensuous pastel persona and golden glow. She was tired of so many looking to her for their heat and light. For Miss Sun, her physical power and presence had definitely become both her corona and her cross. (You may groan now.)

While Eathlings harnessed and worshipped her, browned and basked in her rays, what did she get from this one-sided relationship? Had Miss Sun become a burnt out enabler? She was tired of being so in demand and drained, distant and detached. Could she relate to humans in a more mutual, personally vital way? And pushing her dreams one step further, could she become not just a celestial star but, also, an earthy one? (She was particularly intrigued by that Hollywood legend, the dynamic singer, actress and stage personality, Judy Garland. Miss Sun's two favorite Garland movies were her early work, "The Wizard of Oz," and the later classic, of course, "A Star Is Born." Miss Sun saw parallels between herself and Miss Garland: both had their fans and fanatics and both had, off and on, struggled with exhaustion and meltdown. She also sensed their destinies and dreams lay "somewhere over the rainbow." And like Dorothy, Miss Sun wished she could find a "Good Witch" to help guide her quest. And what do you know...;-)

One day, while exploring on Universe Online, Miss Sun stumbled upon the Online Psych page of "The Stress Doc," and then went to his website - www.stressdoc.com. His writings had sparks of luminous lunacy, which made Miss Sun think he could understand both her and Mr. Moon. Upon devouring a few of his "Humor From the Edge" essays, she thought, "Why not!" Miss Sun sent the Doc an email, detailing her ambivalence about Mr. Moon's proposal as well as her hopes of developing more satisfying, give and take relations with Earthlings. And while initially reluctant to address the issue, she even shared her creative career fantasy: to prove she could earn her claim to earthly stardom through talent and hard work, not just because she turned people on and got them all hot and sweaty.

The Stress Doc carefully read her missive and realized there was precedent for her dreams in the annals of human history. And there was also opportunity for fulfillment with the staggering advances in technology. First, the Doc suggested that Miss Sun do an internet search under Greek Mythology. He felt sure that the myths of Gods and Goddesses visiting Earthly mortals would further strengthen Miss Sun's belief in her quest. But before sharing his technological vision, the Stress Doc wanted also to affirm her psychological position. He strongly supported Miss Sun's desire to explore her own independent identity, to pursue her dreams and goals, to develop her creative gifts before making any final commitments to Mr. Moon.

The steam rising from her surface was a sure sign that this healer's words had touched her deeply. Miss Sun could not hold back her tears of both joy and sadness. Other than Mr. Moon, it had been such a long time - maybe never - that anyone had been able to see into Miss Sun's essence, to be able to look at this cosmic creature without being blinded by her brilliance and overpowering presence.

Alas, dear reader, we must pause in our tale of love and liberation. But rest assured, the Stress Doc has some cutting edge ideas to help Miss Sun find the pass in the impasse, both with her Starlit dream and with her mystifying Moon- man. Until next time, of course...Practice Safe Stress!

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 Mark Gorkin, "The Stress Doc," Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is a nationally recognized speaker, workshop leader and author on stress, reorganizational change, anger, team building, creativity and humor. The Stress Doc is a columnist for the popular cyber-newsletter, Humor From The Edge. Mark is also the "Online Psychohumorist" for the major AOL mental health resource network, Online Psych . His motto: Have Stress? Will Travel! Reach "The Doc" at (202) 232-8662, email: Stress Doc@aol.com