Chinese New Year!

     February 8th is the beginning of a new year in the Chinese calendar.  And which animal is it represented by?  Welcome to the year of the monkey!

     I didn't know this, but there are different aspects of the monkey personality depending on the year that you were born.  Do you remember the discussion we had about the five elements in Chinese theory last fall?  You might want to review that to make more sense of this:

     The wood monkey (born in 1944 or 2004) is helpful, compassionate, has a strong self-esteem but can be stubborn.  The fire monkey (born in 1956 or 2016) can be ambitious and adventurous but can also be irritable.  The earth monkey (born in 1908 or 1968) tends to be frank, optimistic and fearless.  The gold (metal) monkey (born in 1920 or 1980) is quite smart, quick-witted, confident, but can be irritable and stubborn.  Finally, the water monkey (born in 1932 or 1992) is also smart and quick-witted, but enjoys being in the limelight and can be haughty. 

    So, don't monkey around.  Have a party! 

(photo courtesy of pixabay.com and a selfie-taking monkey)