Happy New Year!
明けましておめでとうございます！
Happy New Year! It is now 2012, the Year of the Dragon! Remember, for everyone born in the year of the dragon, this will be a particularly auspicious year for you….Heck, I hope it’s a particularly auspicious year for all of us!
Actually before we get into all the overly sentimental thanks for everything last year and this year no regrets promise kk, I would like to acknowledge the fact that last night in Tokyo, an earthquake shook buildings and temporarily shut down train lines (due to safety checks), but no greater damage has yet been reported and no tsunami warnings were released. The earthquake affected Tokyo as well as parts of Fukushima which were devastated by the Tohoku Quake last March.
The reason I find this particularly noteworthy is due to the fact that Dragon years are characterized by intense natural disasters, particularly earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Throughout history, apparently, some of the craziest natural disasters have occurred during Dragon years. It seems strangely fitting, and slightly unnerving, then, that Honshu would greet 2012’s Water Dragon Year with nothing other than an earthquake.
As the days of 2012 unfold, as we have such things as resolutions and goals and hopes for the year on our minds, I know that I, at least, will be sending as many positive hopes toward Japan for this year. Hopes for the continued reconstruction of the Tohoku/Fukushima areas and the lives of everyone who was affected by the disaster. May they find strength, courage, and peace in 2012.
Also, let’s send positive hopes out to the world at large that 2012’s Dragon is kind to us all, merciful (should the predictions hold true), and full of great, forward-moving energy.
secret garden 