Love yourself first to best love another!

Today is Chinese New Year’s eve, and I have a dinner to attend downtown.  Cabs will be scarce so I may have to take a bus and the metro.  This could be another humorous adventure for me.  Speaking of humorous, I have a dear friend in Houston that made a comment to me today about love and humor.  He says,  “the most intimate and successful relationships, he has observed is the “love yourself first to best love another” feature in common.”  What a wonderful thought he expressed to me.  We both find love and humor walk hand in hand.

I think of my past relationship and I can truly say he did not love himself.  I ponder this, and think why was that so?  How can someone not love who they are?  Such a foreign  thought for me, because loving myself is so easy.  I so enjoy who I am and I seem to be my best friend.  I can entertain, cook and just find things to do all the time to enjoy.  I find humor in just the simplest sights and actions.  I like to write funny stories about the simple everyday humor I bump into.  The camel at the toll booth as we are driving to the Great Wall, oh my gosh how funny is that?  Paying 5 RMB to take an old wrinkly Chinese lady’s picture and I had to ‘Jew’ her down from 10!  The term “Jew.” I picked up from my dad.  He used that expression when be bargained for antiques.  He was such an “Archie Bunker” personality!  You want to laugh, let my dad talk about diverse populations in his 60’s slang wording?  OMG he would embarrass me to death as a teenager.  What I would give to sit at the kitchen table and just listen to him, now.  He died of cancer some years back.

If you are seeing humor and experiencing it all the time, wouldn’t that make you a happy person?  I think so.  Smile and the world smiles too, a great expression.  I like doing that as I walk down the street.  How many Chinese will smile at me today?  I of course will smile first, as the sight of a white lady with curly blond hair is so foreign to them.  They can’t but stare.  So I smile, and then they realize they are staring and shoot you back the biggest sometimes toothless grin, you have ever seen.

Remember Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young?  “If you can’t be with the one you love, then Love the one your with.”  I will put a new spin on this song and say “love yourself, if you can’t be with the one you love!”  Learn it is okay to take care of yourself, love yourself and laugh at yourself!  Good advice Bill, thanks!


“Little Rock” is born.

This is Sophia’s new baby boy, Alice is holding.  I was able to visit her home and see the baby on Thanksgiving day, what a blessing.  The birth of a baby is quite exciting here.  You are not allowed in the hospital to visit the mother or baby like in America.  The mother and mother-in-law move in with the mom and dad for a month or longer.  They have interesting customs and expect the mother to follow.  Sophia’s mother-in-law is very much a take charge A-type personality.  She won’t let Sophia or the baby bathe for a month, that includes washing hair.  Sophia can not brush her teeth, she can rinse them with a tea and salt combination.  She is not allowed to eat veggies or fruits only meats.  The house is dark and the baby is wrapped in a bundle, not letting the eyes be in the light.  Taking pictures with a flash is not allowed.  I got one on the sly.  Talk about a miserable mother!  She said these are old traditions and must be followed but she doesn’t like it.  The mom’s won’t let her use the computer either.  The baby is darling, with dark pensive eyes, so wise looking.  His nick name is “little rock.”  At this time they still haven’t chosen a real name for him.

These cute little gifts are from different parents to share in the birth of their child.  Eggs are always auspicious.   Some are filled with candy and some are real, dyed red and pickled.

This egg has the married characters on it.  It was given to me from a friend whose niece recently married.  It is fun to get these little gifts from newlyweds and new parents.   You give them gifts too.  Sharing in the joy is the tradition.