Dragons and Lions

As this day comes to a close, so does the fifteen day celebration of Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. 

Since January, our city streets and store fronts have been lined with Chinese lanterns, buildings have been donned with Ang Pow (red envelopes), and gold chains with coins have draped various entry ways.  Billboards and banners display the common holiday greeting "Gong Xi Fa Cai!" which means "Congratulations and be prosperous!"  

During the Chinese New Year there are many festive traditions including feasts, Lion dances to ward off evil spirits, and Dragon dances to summons good luck and fortune in the year to come. 

On this last day of jubilation, I am reminded of other seasons of the year when we choose to express appreciation, joy, admiration, and honor. And I can't help but wonder why we don't embrace this celebratory mindset as part of our day to day approach to living. After all, life, with all its uncertainty, life is a gift. And to ignore the beauty of each day, as marred as it may be, is to disregard the generosity of the giver.

This thought brings back visions in my mind's eye of weeks past. Walking through crowded malls, our conversations were repeatedly interrupted with an eruption of clanging percussion as Asians portraying dragons danced their way through clusters of shoppers. With each interruption, Jackson would grin from ear to ear and eagerly await the noisy performance. What we viewed as an unnecessary interference, Jackson viewed as a pleasant distraction. It was a matter of perspective. We saw unwanted drums. Jackson saw delightful instruments. We saw dressed up teenagers preventing us from accomplishing our errands. Jackson saw brightly colored costumes creating merriment for those who would permit.

With this in mind, I determine to keep my perspective in check. When faced with inconsiderate drivers, paperless bathrooms, and inadequate language skills, I purpose to look for the merriment in the moment.