> CD #105: Big dragon energy
Gong hei fat choy!
The Lunar New Year always feels like a time of renewal and possibility to me, and this year carries extra significance because it’s the Year of the Dragon. I am a dragon, and I’ve always been proud of this fact, even though I had zero control over my birth year and don’t really believe in horoscopes. Still, I love that I was born under the best sign in the Chinese zodiac (don’t even try to dispute it), and I am 100% here for a year of big dragon energy.
Of course, I probably shouldn’t be that excited about the Year of the Dragon since, according to Chinese astrology, the year of your zodiac sign is traditionally an unlucky one. I remember, at ages 12 and 24, my mom forcing me to carry a small jade rooster to ward off the bad luck. Then, at age 36, freed from the superstitions of my upbringing, I carried nothing and was fine—except that my house burned down. Whoops.
I’m not scared, though.1 Last year was already one of the hardest in my life and, in many ways, it feels like things can only go up from here. But also, I don’t really believe that every encounter with luck can be filed neatly under “good” or “bad.” Having lived as a person in the world for quite some time now (nearly four dragon years!), I know what seems like good luck can come with all sorts of complications, and what looks like bad luck can turn and twist itself into something unexpectedly beautiful.
I have always felt like a lucky person. And not just because I live in Canada and have a quality of life that most people in the world can only dream of. I’m talking about random luck in my everyday wanderings. I win prize draws on a regular basis—just in the past couple years: a Le Creuset pot, an Indigo gift card, and an Airbnb gift card. I have never been hospitalized except to give birth. I frequently get good parking spots, even at the mall on a busy Saturday afternoon.
On a slightly grander scale, my little indie graphic memoir somehow got noticed in a world where thousands of books of equal or greater merit are largely ignored. And then the book triggered a whole set of other impossibly lucky happenings. (Now, you might think it has nothing to do with luck, but I’m not so sure about that. We all know by now that we’re not living in a meritocracy, right?)
And on the grandest scale, I have been lucky in all the chance encounters that have led me to the deep human connections I have with the people in my life. Timing is everything. And I feel lucky to be here, now—to have crossed paths with you, even if it’s just for a moment. Even if it’s only digitally.
I wish you all an auspicious Year of the Dragon, even though the world is on fire. And I promise to try and direct some of my good luck your way.
I know not every day will feel like you’ve won a random prize just by getting to live your life. But you have, in a way. We all have.
:) Teresa
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Full disclosure: This line felt too much like I was tempting fate, so I went and bought a jade rooster pendant right after finishing this post. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I breathed a sigh of relief for your jade rooster acquisition!