This Lunar New Year was particularly unique given that my mom and husband were born under the year of the snake. I aimed to celebrate Tết by blending new practices with our traditions, while shedding what I no longer needed to thrive. However, the path to transformation has been elusive and winding as the creature itself.
Instead of the lively festivities I participated in previous years, I took my mom out to brunch to relish in this new flow. It has been a while since I have seen my mom smile and enjoy herself comfortably. With the hectic schedule of life and our responsibilities, we relished in finally sitting down together and catching up over a coffee and cake. While she and I have different views on life, this opportunity sheds light on the important value of family and why I continue to advocate and push for equity and change within my community. I realized that approaching matters with awareness and grace is healing for not only myself but for the relationship with my family.
Normally, my husband and I would celebrate Tết at his mother’s home on the weekend with firecrackers, blessings and prayer to our ancestors to welcome abundance and fortune with our siblings; that event didn’t happen. Rather, it was more solitude and slower, like a snake coiled to rest in resistance. I spent most of the weekend appreciating the quieter moments with my nephews and nieces during play time and took long neighborhood walks with my dogs who eagerly sniffed some flowers in bloom. Savoring the slowness and simplicity can result in larger, dynamic events later on – where I would have the capacity and energy to carry on the important work at SEARAC. Especially during the times of darkness, something vibrant emerges and is pronounced as a freshly molten snake.