{Monday} Moments: Sign of the Times

For the last five

years, the holidays

in our family have 

concluded with Chinese 

food on New Year's Eve.

One thing that is

always fun when

we visit our local

Chinese restaurant

is reading the

Chinese Zodiac

on the place mats

that grace the table.

Year of the Rat

The Chinese Zodiac,

Sheng Xiao, is based

on a twelve year cycle,

with an animal assigned

to each year.

After our order is placed,

we all squint in the dimly

lit restaurant at the tiny

numbers surrounding 

each of the twelve animals,

to see which one is

assigned to our birth 

year.

Year of the Dragon

2012 is the 

Year of the Dragon.

I was born in the 

Year of the Tiger : )

The idea of this little

place mat stayed with

me long after the fortune

cookies had been snapped

open, fortunes read and

cookies consumed.

Year of the Ox

I kept returning to the
image of this little paper,
 considering how I might 
view my own life, if it were
laid out in neat squares
in front of me.

The Year of the First Steps.

The Year of the Driver's License.

The Year of the Wedding.

The Year of the Big Trip.

Year of the Tiger

Or maybe, the place mat

of my life would have

general themes, with dates

below each to signify  

when they took place.

The Years of School.

The Years of Pets.

The Years of Dating.

The Years of Work.

The Years of Marriage.

The Years of Children.

The Years of Travel.

Year of the Rabbit

Or, like the place mat at

the restaurant, my life

place mat could be grouped

into twelve year cycles.

The early childhood years.

The young adult years.

The young family years.

The older family years.

Etc, etc......

Year of the Snake
{Painted by my daughter}

But when I take stock

of my life, to date, and

think back on the years,

it isn't particular activities

or specific dates that come

to mind.

It's feelings.

Year of the Horse

And so, the place mat 

that represents my life

would include something
similar to these

twelve squares:

The Years of Joy.

The Years of Sorrow.

The Years of Discovery.

The Years of Learning.

The Years of Befriending.

The Years of Loving.

The Years of Striving.

The Years of Giving.

The Years of Humor.

The Years of Affection.

The Years of Change.

The Years of Creativity.

Year of the Sheep

With the exception of

sorrow, I would hope

that all the years of my 

life, so far, would be

listed under

each

and 

every

square.

Another interesting

exercise would be to

write down every year 

of your life and to dub it

The Year of......

Year of the Monkey

2011, for me, would be

The Year of Letting Go ~

of my arms around 

our daughter, as she 
{and we} prepare for her

 high school graduation
in 2013 ~

of the sense that I should

be living somewhere else,

other than right where

I am, this very moment ~

of pre-conceived notions

about people, places or

things ~

of habits that no longer

serve me well.

Year of the Rooster

And 2012?

That I am calling

The Year of Possibilities.

What about you, 
my friend?

Year of the Dog

Do you know your 
Sheng Xiao sign?  

{You can find it, here.}

What will you call 2012,

on your own 

life's place mat?

Year of the Pig

Sending you warm

wishes for a Happy

New Year.  

Now, go 
make it 

one

to

remember.

xx

Suzanne

PS:  It's been a few weeks,

but {Monday} Moments is

open again for you to link

up any post that you want to

share around this virtual

water cooler.  
Please Be generous!