Mezzanine Seats

Jip and I are looking forward to a stable Year of the Rat. Our pleasures were pretty simple in the Year of the Pig. We rarely felt the old Chinese curse about interesting times. I’ve especially enjoyed opportunities to just reflect, or read, or get a massage, or be with friends—agenda-free, and without having to be home at any special time.

Jip would say something similar. She doesn’t care for packed schedules, loud noises, or too much newness all at once. So neither of us was inclined to stay up late on New Year’s Eve, and when three text messages beeped on my phone right after midnight, we weren’t thrilled to be awake.

But I got up anyway, curious about some flashing lights outside. From the balcony I could see fireworks in the distance. When I turned my head in a different direction, I saw another display exploding. Pretty soon I realized that we were surrounded. From my high vantage point I counted at least nine different fireworks celebrations happening in and around the city. All were easy to see, but too far away to hear. A good sign for a beautiful, quiet year to come.