Lunar New Year used to feel different when I lived in Hawaii.
New Year mochi. Red envelopes. Fireworks somewhere in the background. Extended family just being around. It wasnât loud or extravagant. It was just⌠a thing that happened every year.
After I left in 2016, it slowly faded into something quieter.
Now it feels like any other day. Calm. Neutral. Not sad. just Distant.
I used to think lunar new year was just a cultural celebration, but itâs always felt like a second beginning to me. Not January 1st energy â something softer. Honoring ancestors Iâve never met. Acknowledging where I come from, even when I donât fully know it.
I havenât celebrated it in a long time. And my family doesnât really do much now.
But maybe that doesnât mean it has no meaning.
Maybe it just means I get to decide what it looks like.
This year, I want to give my family red envelopes â not because we always have, but because I want to. Fortune. Prosperity. Protection.
I want to clean my space. Take care of my skin. Reset quietly.
I want to leave behind my pessimism. My anger toward the past. The resentment Iâve been holding onto. The need to control everything so I donât get hurt again.
I want to practice forgiveness. Not for them â for me.
If this year has a word, itâs determination.
The kind where I move forward even if Iâm scared.
The kind where I choose growth over comfort.
Maybe this is what Lunar New Year looks like for me now.
Not pretending nothing changed.
Just honoring it in my own way.
germansingergirl
romaincrisis
origamiaround
turnnoffyourmind
jbbartram-illu
