Lunar New Year

I’ve been meaning to tell you, dear Reader, “Happy Lunar New Year.” Goodbye Year of the Horse, Hello, Year of the Sheep and / or Ram / and or Goat. That it’s unclear whether it is the year of the sheep or the year of the goat is very non-Western, isn’t it?

When I think of sheep I think docile, I think consumer-culture, and I think Jesus:

Baaaaah.  When I think ram, I think Rocky Mountains, I think aggression, and I think trucks. Don’t you?

Throwing goats into the mix, oh man:

Goats have long been associated with demons in Western culture. As Cake succinctly put it,”Sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell.” Goats have a really bad rap in the Bible.

But think of our mountain goats in Jasper National Park. I’m going to wish you that kind of a Happy Year of the Goat.

What I mean is this:

I wish you the courage to take a few great leaps this year.

I wish you grace and strength in the difficult spots we invariably find ourselves in.

I wish you wisdom in choosing your battles. (Not like goats.) And strength to fight the ones you do choose.

I hope you remember to be playful and kid around, at least some of the time.

I wish you the kind of pleasure that can only be got from doing something difficult and challenging.

And I hope you find yourself ascending to heights you hadn’t thought possible:

XOX
House of Flurfel