I'm a Dragon, Who Are You?

Happy 2024 Chinese Lunar New Year: The Wood Dragon

Do you like Asian food as much as I do? I am a food adventurer, and at this time of year I keenly look forward to one particularly delicious feast.

Friends Liz T. and Bob K. host a Chinese lunar new year every February that is not to be missed. The animal theme decorations are fabulous, and the real treat is in the tables of freshly prepared, authentic, delicious dishes of all foods Asian. The best part about this is that all of the dishes are made by the guests themselves. Liz and Bob have great friends who are also great cooks! I do not consider myself an expert in the kitchen, so I feel extra lucky to be among them.

This year I decided to surprise Liz and Bob with an impromptu gift in the year of the dragon. Bob is a dragon. Liz is a monkey, and she is forever on the lookout for anything monkey or dragon to collect and adorn their home. To celebrate Liz and Bob, not only as amazing people but also very good friends, I decided to create a custom mug for each of them with a fierce and regal dragon wrapping around the cup, and a spritely and determined monkey riding on its back while grasping a lucky gold coin.

Silly me, I did not think to take a photograph of their dragon & monkey mugs before presenting their gift to them at the party. I have a gorgeous picture of Liz and Bob holding their mugs, however, they do not want to be famous yet so that picture also adorns only their home.

Inspired, I then decided to create a dragon-only mug, one that does not include a monkey, since I am also a dragon. My mug also came out spectacularly. It's the image accompanying this blog post. If you follow me on Facebook at DianaDoodles.FB there is also a 3-D video of it that you can view.

The Chinese zodiac, like the western zodiac, describes characteristics of people born under each sign. Some attributes seem uncanny in their accuracy while others do not even come close, don't you think? It's fun to ponder, but I like it best to just get to know ourselves by observation, embrace who we are, and celebrate that!

What do I mean about getting to know who we are? I've noticed that people sometimes don't really know themselves well. I didn't know myself well for a really long time. Like years. I think this is because modern life has a way of conforming us. In society we are expected to fit into certain typical norms, and sometimes we start to adopt those norms as if they are innate characteristics belonging to us, rather than adaptations that we make to get along in culture and community in which we live.

I hope you celebrate yourself, whether you are a dragon or a rat or any version that you choose. All people have amazing and redeeming qualities, just like the zodiac animals and the real-life creatures that they are based upon. Did you know that the dragon is based upon nine other animals? I hope you value and appreciate the many best parts of you, too.

Love and hugs, Diana

Categories: : Artistic Journey, Life Exploration