Who would ever have thought that “catgut” comes not from cats, but from the natural fiber found in the walls of sheep or goat intestines, and sometimes from the intestines of cattle, hogs, horses, mules, or donkeys! Additional research will inform that catgut is used to make strings for musical instruments.
A friend of mine posted on Facebook that her sign under the Chinese zodiac, according to the date of her birth, was the dragon. It listed her most negative quality as that of being “stubbornly independent”. She questioned whether this was a negative quality.
This, of course, spurred my interest in determining my Chinese sign. Let me begin by saying I do not believe that destiny is determined by such things as astrology. I do, however, find it interesting to occasionally read such things to see how well I “stack up” against such fragile ways of determining personality, luck, etc.
I turned to what has become my electronic friend, Google. I typed “Chinese Zodiac” in the search bar, and off I went. I was guided to a “calculator” to determine my Chinese zodiac sign. Among the possible signs, all noted by animal names, I could have been either a rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog or pig. Personally, I don’t find any of them flattering, and I was not surprised when I turned out to be what I consider to be represented by one of the most repulsive creatures on Earth, a snake. I clicked on the link “Snake” and was guided to the following site: www.travelchinaguide.com.
I am going to do what the anthem of the old Family Channel used to advise: “accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, tune in to the affirmative . . .” Let me tell you what a good person I am, according to my Chinese sign. I am calm, talented, modest, perceptive, intelligent, and have lots of inspirations. I am also thorough, thoughtful and loyal to loved ones. I am not just any snake—I am a wood snake—precise, cool-headed, creative, a logical thinker. I have outstanding personal abilities and am hard working. Other famous people who are/were snakes are John F. Kennedy, J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame, and Taylor Swift.
I thought the most profound statement in my 2021 fortune was, “With good health luck, they [snakes] have nothing to worry about their health.” How profound is that! I believe that might be the outlook for every person on planet Earth. I have decided to adopt this outlook as my motto for the remainder of 2021.
I’ve shared some of the good aspects of my character and personality, according to the Chinese signs. Only those of you who know me well are in a position to judge how accurate they are. After reading them, I wonder if my mother knew what a wonderful son she had, or my wife what a prize for a husband!
Like a true narcissist, I am not going to share with you the bad aspects of my personality and character, few though they be, according to the Chinese signs.
Let me put the matter to rest by saying this: Everyone’s life is about relationships, and it is by the love and respect shown to friends and acquaintances that the true wealth of a person’s character is measured.
I can at this moment think of one shining moment when I came through gallantly for a friend, and of another time when I failed miserably in a friendship.
I can’t forget the adage that says, “One’s true character is determined by what s/he does when totally alone and no one will know.” Never forget, there is One who is always around, and He knows all the hidden secrets, and promises, “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” (Luke 12:2, KJV).
With that thought, I leave you until next time with another thought-provoking question: In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? Check out historicunioncounty.com next week for the answer.