Earth Pig

Lunar New Year fell on Jan 22. Anyone born before that date belongs to the previous year (Dog).

Pigs have a talent for making people relax. They do not rush to judge and they do not keep score, and after sitting with one for a while you notice you are talking more than usual. Good food, good sleep, a comfortable ordinary day: none of it embarrasses them. They read as generous, easy, without an angle. The part people miss is that they are not naive. They see most of it and decide that saying it out loud is not worth the evening. They are the reason a bad week still ends with a shared meal and a real laugh.

Ding is a lamp lighting only a small circle, Hai the low ground that holds water and sleeps. Rain runs off the eaves and drops into a basin, one drop at a time. People like this can stand small repetitive things, finishing up after others and remembering what everyone forgot, for years. They do not keep score and let a loss go. But a full basin has to be emptied, and they need to learn to pour it out instead of carrying it. They remember what everyone likes and avoids, so the order needs no second asking.