Happy Lantern Festival! (Merry Chinese New Year of the Rat!) Let's start right now. Imagine standing outside your kitchen window, held by a friend, eyes wide with that same confused-but-cute grin you have every year. The air smells like salted peanuts and warm garlic dumplings. You hold the lantern, maybe it's a little too big for your hand, maybe it's too small, maybe it's just the perfect size. In the middle of it, you see the drawing of the dragon. It's done. It's ugly. It's just a drawing. But you know, you smile because it's what it's supposed to be. We are in the year 2026.The calendar says we are riding the Rat. That feels a little strange. The Rat is a very small rodent. It spends most of its time hiding under a rock, eating a little green vegetable, and then waking up to say hello to the world. It doesn't roar like an elephant. It doesn't step on toes. It just waits. Some people think it's boring because it's not going to help anyone build a wall or start a war. But I think it's more interesting than a normal cat. Cats jump and they hurt your leg. The Rat jumps a little. It doesn't hurt you. It just wants to tell you that it is here. Last year, I had the worst luck. My cat hid in the dark and wouldn't come out. I thought maybe it was coming with Snow. Then I found out the Rat was here. It walked quietly into the room. It sat on the table. It didn't eat. I looked at its tail. It was green. Green for the Rat. It's a symbol. It's just a symbol of the month. It means change. It means new beginnings. It means the earth is breathing again. The earth is breathing. I can feel the soil pushing through my shoes. It is strong. It is deep. It is wet. The water got in my shoes. It is heavy. It is cold. But underneath the cold, there is a heat. It comes from the dragon. It comes from the fire. It is glowing in the dark. We talk about money. The weather is fine. The money is okay. But the story is better than the numbers. The story is that we are watching something beautiful unfold. It starts with a single light. That light is the lantern. It hangs from a rope. The rope is thin. It is strong enough to hold the candle. The candle is old. It has smoke coming out of its top. The smoke is invisible. It creates fog. The fog makes the dragon look real. The dragon looks alive. It moves. It wiggles. It is getting stronger. It is getting bigger. It is swallowing the lights. It is eating the shadows. This happens every year. It happens in January. It happens in February. It happens in March. It is a rhythm. We dance in circles. We jump up and down. We hug each other. The hug is hard. The legs are long. The arms are short. The chin is low. The heart is beating fast. It is a heartbeat to keep time. The beat is steady. It is not worried. It is not nervous. It just wants to live. To live like the Rat. To live like the Lantern. To live like the night sky. The stars are coming out. They are big. They are bright. They are white. They are warm. They are trying to tell us that it is okay to be different. We are different from the years before. We are different from the years after. We are just here. Do not worry about the future. The future is too big. It is too far. It is too many. Just look at the present. Look at the lantern. Look at the dragon. The dragon is closing its eyes. Its eyelids are heavy. Its eyelashes are long. Its eyelashes are white. It knows where it is going. It knows where you are. It knows you are happy. You are happy because you have the food. You have the moon. You have the fire. You have the light. The light is shining on you. It is shining on your face. It is shining on your skin. It is shining on your hands. It is shining on your feet. Sometimes I think the Rat is just an animal. A pet. A toy. But I know better now. It is a messenger. It is a bridge. It is a connection between the past and the future. The past is old. It is dusty. It is heavy with memories. The future is new. It is bright. It is empty. The Rat is in the middle. It is taking the old and putting it in the new. It is taking the fire and putting it in the cold. It is taking the shadow and putting it in the light. It is making the light stronger. It is making the shadow smaller. It is making the night feel shorter. It is making the day feel longer. We are uniting. We are one family. We are all in the house. We are all watching the same thing. We are all holding the same lantern. We are all making the same noise. The noise is loud. It is a sound of celebration. It is a sound of joy. It is a sound of life. It is a sound of the Rat. It is a sound of the dragon. It is a sound of the moon. It is a sound of the stars. It is a sound of us. It is a sound of everything. It is a sound of everything being connected. In 2026, we will cross the threshold. We will step into the new year. We will carry the lantern with us. We will carry the hope with us. We will carry the love with us. We will carry the Rat with us. The Rat will be with us. The Rat is with us. It will be in our pockets. It will be in our pockets. It will be in our hearts. It will be in our dreams. It will be in our thoughts. It will be in our words. The words are short. They are not long. They are just enough. They are enough to say that we are here. We are here. We are together. We are the Rat. We are the Dragon. We are the Lantern. We are the Light. We are the Night. We are the Day. We are all together. We are all one. We are all home. We are all safe. We are all warm. We are all happy. We are all dreaming. Is it magic? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it is just the wind changing direction. Maybe it is just the shadow moving. Maybe it is just the light getting brighter. But it feels like magic. It feels like something big is happening. It feels like the whole world is waking up. The sun is coming up. It is glowing. It is shining. It is making everything beautiful. It is making the world feel like a dream come true. So, let's celebrate. Let's eat. Let's laugh. Let's dance. Let's shout. Let's cry. Let's hug. Let's hold hands. Let's hold the lantern. Let's hold the dragon. Let's hold the star. Let's hold the Rat. Let's hold the time. Let's hold the year. Let's hold the past. Let's hold the future. Let's hold the now. Let's hold the very second. Let's hold the very second. Let's hold the very second. The second is endless. The second is real. The second is ours. The second is ours to live. The second is ours to love. The second is ours to share. The second is ours to keep. The second is ours to start over. The second is ours to build a new dream. The second is ours to make a new story. The second is ours to write a new line. The second is ours to pick up a new pen. The second is ours to write a new word. The second is ours to say hello. Hello to the Rat. Hello to the Dragon. Hello to the Lantern. Hello to the Light. Hello to the Night. Hello to the Star. Hello to the Sun. Hello to the Earth. Hello to the Sky. Hello to the Moon. Hello to the Fire. Hello to the Ice. Hello to the Rain. Hello to the Snow. Hello to the Wind. Hello to the Cloud. Hello to the Rainbows. Hello to the Rainbow. Hello to the Dream. Hello to the Wish. Hello to the Year. Hello to the Day. Hello to the Night. Hello to the Light. The light is bright. The light is warm. The light is alive. The light is coming. The light is going. The light is here. The light is there. The light is ours. The light is ours to keep. The light is ours to share. The light is ours to look at. The light is ours to see. The light is ours to feel. The light is ours to know. The light is ours to love. The light is ours to dream. The light is ours to live. The light is ours to be. The light is ours to become. Become who you are. Become the Rat. Become the Dragon. Become the Lantern. Become the Light. Become the Night. Become the Star. Become the Sun. Become the Earth. Become the Sky. Become the Moon. Become the Fire. Become the Ice. Become the Rain. Become the Snow. Become the Wind. Become the Cloud. Become the Rainbow. Become the Dream. Become the Wish. Become the Year. Become the Day. Become the Night. Become the Light. Happy Lantern Festival! Merry Chinese New Year of the Rat!