Big shock.
I mean, here’s me, one of those dog nuts, eternally committed to my unshakable belief that dogs are the best people, beside myself with joy to learn that we’ve just entered the Year of the Dog, ready to join whatever celebration follows, as soon as I look into the details.
Where the devil is.
Well; seems there’s the Chinese zodiac; Chinese traditional calendar; astrology; 12-year cycles; animals of the zodiac; animal of my birth year...
I go down the tubes fast.
One thing I manage to grab onto as I sink; Year of the Dog.
Keep repeating; Year of the Dog.
Then I see a reference to my birth year. I need to check my birth year. Why? I mean, what’s my birth year got to do with it? This is the Year of the Dog, right?
Yes, indeed; this is the Year of the Dog; but within the Year of the Dog, sits my personal animal sign and that comes from the Chinese zodiac.
I follow instructions and—Ta-da!—there’s my personal animal sign.
Snake.
Not a dog at all.
A snake.
I don’t know how it works; but within my Year of the Dog, lies—or slithers—a snake.
Personally, I’ve got nothing against snakes, but frankly, the less I have to do with them, the better it is. They do have a bad rap; unjustified maybe; and in nature’s grand scheme, I’m sure snakes play an important role.
But this is a once in I don’t know how many years and it’s hard for me to accept myself as a snake as I wait for another Dog Year to come around.
Besides, given the number of other personal animal signs in the Chinese Zodiac—I see a goat, an ox, roosters, a pig, a rat—there appear to be plenty of snake alternatives in line.
A rat?
No.
I just don’t think so.