“Every year is a new beginning, but so is every day. Take a deep breath and begin.”

Dear Universe,

This week marks the Chinese New Year.  I heard that it was the Year of the Monkey (Red Fire Monkey, to be exact) and as I usually do, I wanted to research to see what this could symbolize for 2016.

The first site I clicked on informed me of something I didn’t know.

I am a monkey.

More specifically, I am a gold monkey.

This excited me for some reason.  Who doesn’t love a monkey (even if it’s from a distance?)  Monkeys are cute, playful and funny.  I also liked the idea of being a golden anything.  It seemed auspicious and in general, I like a little bling in my life.

But when I continued on to find out more about what my monkey-ness meant, I read this:

“Everything points to disaster for Monkeys in this Monkey Year… Watch out!”

What?

Now I realize some may have chosen to stop reading at that point, but not me.  Oh no.  I wanted to know exactly what disasters are waiting in the wings so I kept on scrolling, reading, and absorbing.

The site warned me to be careful about my health, investments, career and love life—all things I normally put care and attention to.

Traffic accidents were mentioned.  Illnesses too. Relationships would be dull or non-existent (With Valentine’s Day this weekend and my wedding this summer, I am choosing to just ignore that one!)

It wasn’t all bad of course.  The site was optimistic that with some care and maybe a fair share of paranoia, I could avoid some of this misfortune, turn my luck around.

It even provided some charts to mull over, like this one:

Even though this chart seems like it could have been scribbled in a hurry or drafted with a blind-fold, I think I’ll print it out and hang it.

It’s my way of showing you, Universe, that I’m taking this whole Monkey-precaution thing seriously.

Here’s the thing.  I think it’s okay to be superstitious, have our little idiosyncrasies that we do.

Knock on wood?  Sure, easy enough.

Carry a good luck charm?  Harmless.

But it’s when our superstitions get in our way, causing us to act in ways we never would, pushing people away, saying no when we should say yes, our fears ruling our decisions, that I think it’s taking it too far.

I believe warnings are simply meant to make us more aware.  For instance, when we see the “Caution: Wet Floor” sign, we don’t freeze in our tracks, standing still for hours.

We simply take note, slow down and tread a little more carefully.

I’ll take the warnings anytime.  But this I know for sure: I want to live life without worries taking over, drowning out my common sense or intuition.

I want to trust myself over the words of a fortune cookie, a fortune teller or a brightly colored chart—as much as I enjoy all of these things!

Part Two:

But what does the year of the Monkey mean for everyone else—all the non-monkeys?  I did some more researching and reading and here’s what I found:

The Monkey brings about a fresh and exciting energy.  Be prepared for adventure and new opportunities coming your way, but be careful not to overextend yourself.  Take on only what you can so you can finish what you start.

It’s a year for new beginnings and fresh starts. If you’ve been dreaming about starting a project, entering into a new relationship or making a career move, this would be the year to do it! Just remember to take your time before making any decision as you may feel more prone to spontaneity this year.

Don’t be surprised to find yourself feeling more inspired and more creative than usual. This can be the year where ideas come to you faster than ever before! You may find yourself feeling more carefree, compassionate or playful in your creativity.

Overall, this sounds pretty good for me!  I think I’m going to like the Red Fire Monkey.

With Gratitude,

A