With no mistakes
Young performers at Lunar New Year, Chinatown, San Francisco, January 2004.
“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
― L.M. Montgomery
If you’ve already lapsed on your New Year’s resolutions (or never had any) you have another chance to start the New Year today, on Lunar New Year. In fact, every day is a chance to start again. I hope the optimism inherent in new beginnings will stay with you daily during the year. Regardless of how you may hear it– Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin) — Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese) — or Happy New Year — that’s your cue to say, “May I have the envelope, please?” And you thought that was a line from the Academy Awards!
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- Tagged: celebration, Chinese New Year, hope, Lunar New Year, new beginnings, new day, optimism, starting over
Defeat Despair 
Love that quote. I say it often and think of Anne Shirley when I do. This past Monday was a day that needed to end. By the time dinner was over, I was ready for pj’s and my pillow, anxious to see the day go bye bye. I repeated to God “your mercies are new every morning” until I exhaled and found my smile again.
Hi Jenelle, it is always a treat to hear from you! I love that verse about new mercies. I have relied upon it many times over the years. Sometimes I say to Jeff “If today was a fish I’d have thrown it back” but I always feel guilty when I say that. I know in my head that every day is a gift, but that doesn’t mean some are not way easier and more pleasant than others. I hope today will be one of the happier ones for you! Thanks for being here.
Julia, as each day has a new beginning, we can think in terms of each year having 365 clean slates, I suppose. The cover of a local publication has a Robert Frost quote that I’d never seen. “The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.” We don’t always know what a day will bring. I hope yours has been delightful. 💌☺️
Hi Sheila, I’m answering this one in the morning, and I hope today will be fun. I plan to see Grady this afternoon, so that is something to look forward to. Yesterday was a nice peaceful day by the fireside at my parents’ home, and I enjoyed visiting last night with Al and his sons Aaron and Seth, and Aaron’s lovely fiancée Hailey. So I think that day could qualify as delightful. 😀 I don’t recall having read that Frost quote, but I do love his work. He was one of the first poets I really enjoyed, along with Carl Sandberg. I heard the two were not that fond of each other, but I find much to like in both of them. This year’s 365 days are already flying by…hard to believe we are more than halfway through February! The weather apparently wants to put the brakes on our notions of spring, though…stay warm and join me in a virtual cup of tea here and a real one there!
Good morning, Julia! How fun!
I missed your post on the actual Chinese New Year, but reading it now, I think I’ll be watching for new beginnings and red envelopes today!
Happy New Day!
Hi Susan, Happy New Day to you too! I still have a few red envelopes left over from the Year of the Monkey (2004 and also my birth year) so if I had thought about it I could have sent you one. Next year will be another Monkey year, I think, so maybe I’ll get one to you then. I definitely fit the Monkey profile. I’m a Fire Monkey, and 2016 will be the first fire monkey year since my birth. Supposedly 2016 will be an inauspicious year for me (one’s birth year is said to be unlucky, which seems counterintuitive to me) but fortunately I don’t believe horoscopes can predict the future. The personality traits are fun to read about, though.
Julia im glad you didnt Wo Fat from Hawaii 5-0 singing in a Barbershop Quartet . Lol
Hi Raynard, it’s great to hear from you. I enjoyed the photos of the flower show although I can’t believe it’s already come and gone another year. This year I have an excuse since it’s very odd to have a foot of snow outside on March 6! I didn’t even remember Wo Fat from Hawaii Five-O. About the only thing I remember is the great theme song. Come to think of it, he could have been hiding out in one of those lion costumes. Hope you are staying warm!
No red envelopes have arrived but the year is young. What an interesting custom. I wonder if they made the ‘unmarried’ rule when youngster got married earlier. Now, with people remaining single longer, it’d get so expensive. There’s an Oriental Market not far from us. As I was driving by, I noticed they had lot’s of giant red lanterns hanging. I wonder what’s with the colour red in their culture? xo k
They are really big on red, no doubt about it, especially at New Year’s. Since I’m a Fire Monkey in the Chinese Zodiac, my color is red. I still have some red envelopes from the Year of the Monkey in San Francisco (2004 was the last year of the Monkey, I think, which would mean next year is another Monkey, though not a Fire Monkey). I love the bright read colors, though it would be hard to take on a daily basis I think. Those giant red lanterns are another New Year’s thing, as are the red banners. They certainly brighten things up. Red can make any setting look lively and exotic. Little kids seem to like and notice red the most, I think. I wonder if that’s because it’s easier to see?
I can’t think of a single thing red that I own. Weird hey? I am wearing an orange nighty though, that’s awfully close. Apparently I’m a golden ox by the Chinese Zodiac. I’ve never read much about it, it says I make a good friend but I’m not a good communicator, Oh o! LOL!
Then it’s a good thing we got rid of those red dining room walls we inherited when we bought this place in Alexandria! You won’t find too much red left in the decor here. I think you are a wonderful communicator, and not just in words. Your lovely creations from the Boom-Room speak eloquently of your discipline and caring for others. And your blog posts are always fun to read. So much for superstitious zodiac trivia! Though the part about being a good friend is true. ❤
ddaawwww, thank you Julia, you make me feel so loved. ❤ Speaking of Zodiac's, I actually did a post about them a while back. I compared 3 different on-line Horoscopes for the same day. Kind of silly stuff (as it usually is in Boomdeeville) LOL. To tickle your funny bone with your morning tea, here's it is
http://boomdeeadda.com/2012/08/25/head-in-the-clouds-feet-on-the-ground/
Thanks for the link. I tend to agree with your conclusions there; the zodiac (anyone’s zodiac) is an enchanting bit of fantasy fiction for me. I have never read horoscopes on a regular basis since I don’t think there’s anything to their claim to prophecy, but do find the personality descriptions fun. I like discussing any sorts of archetypes, maybe because I’m so fascinated with character development in literature. You know I’ve always said Boomdeeville is my Happy Place, and being silly sometimes is part of Happy. So bring on the silly now and then!