2018 - the Year of the Earth Dog, the Year of the Treasure Hunt

Lagotto Romagnolo - a truffle hunting dog
(C) Quirksee.org

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the year of the Phoenix has passed and has ushered in the year of the earth dog. The earth dog comes from Eastern thinking. There are five elements in Chinese thought: Water, Earth, Fire, Metal, and Wood. (Incidentally, I wrote a post about the hot pools as being a therapy that incorporates all five elements.) There are 12 zodiac animals, which doesn't include the cat - because the rats drowned them on their way to Buddha's birthday. So the pairing of element to animal this year comes out to the earth dog, which I forecast the year to mean the year of the treasure hunt. What's a better earth dog - than a Lagotto Romagnolo - the truffle hunting Italian dog? Did you know that a pound of truffles can fetch $2,000 USD? So - the earth dog is a reminder to us all that we need to put in a hard work to search for treasure this year, in work, in our families, in our friendships and as good citizens of this world.

For my team and me - like Lagotto - we have to work hard in digging hard and uncovering more truth for the public. We did a great job last year in uncovering a number of scandals, from the Mayor's dark criminal past to the current Chief of Police's rise to power with drug and bribe money. I hope we can uncover more nuggets of truth for you - to bring justice to these people and to make our society a better place.

Regarding relationships, I saw a lot of relationships on the rocks this year. All of us, especially myself, have to learn to value those around us more. James 1 says that we all need to learn to be better at listening and slower to speak and slower to anger.

When I think about the wisest people in my life, they're really good at listening. Don't you find this too? And, I think that's part of discovery and one of they keys in really trying to understand what's going on and the key in understanding people. I admit, I need improvement too in this area of my life.

For me, personally, I hope to develop better character. According to the Letter of Timothy, an honorable man "must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?" (1 Tim 3).

So, there's a lot there, and obviously I'm not perfect. But the aim is better (and not perfect) character, and there's a lot of traits in the passage that really should be aimed for.

Other than that, I have no idea where I'll end up this year or what'll happen. But, hopefully this year will be a year of discovered treasure.

P.