If you follow the Chinese zodiac, (and come on - if you've ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant - I KNOW that you've checked out those awesome Year of the _____ placemats while waiting for your food) - then, you know that this year is the YEAR OF THE TIGER.

I am a Leo, born in the Year of the Dragon - Fire Dragon, specifically - but one of my "voices" inside me is The Tiger. (Leo? Fire Dragon? AND Tiger? Let us all give a moment of silence for my poor husband!)

We like to leave her caged. 😳

Some people take pride in that dominant, "scary" voice inside them. I actually really do not like when "she" comes to play. She tends to be completely uncontrollable, needlessly vicious, laser-focused on her target, and doesn't stop until there are casualties- many casualties. I usually (nervously) laugh when I talk about keeping the Tiger caged, but it's probably the side of me that shames me the most. Yes, she most certainly gets the job done, but when my rational side "comes to" and views the bloody carnage - what typically follows is a deep, sorrowful sigh, followed by the miserable appointment of the clean-up crew.

So why do I want to unleash THAT?

Well, I don't want to unleash THAT, but maybe a calculated and controlled variation of that. I have been waiting for this year of 2022 for a long time. I knew it was going to be a special year. And it will be. I just didn't realize that THIS YEAR was the Year of the Tiger until this morning, when @yuanling11 dropped this image into our server.

I looked at the image and said... "you've GOT to be kidding me! LOL"

So here is some fun stuff for you to add to the "fun and useless info" section of your brain!

(Click on any of the Google screenshot images below to be taken to those sites- if you'd like more info!)

Many years ago, I started looking forward to the year 2022. I won't go into the details of why - I just knew it was going to be a significant year.

Then, 18 months ago, my daughter and I brainstormed a mini-project together (called Little Blue Tiger) where we decided to do something wild in 2022. The project was called #22222. We were going to do something very specific on February 22, 2022. Though we did have some spin-offs, and certainly the heartbeat of #22222 is still very much beating in DreemPort, things in 2021 made our first big drEEm impossible.

However, I refused to relinquish my plans for 2022. I simply decided - they need to be adjusted. I LOVE that the year of the Tiger focuses on:

• being tough through adversity,
• justice,
• commitment to the good (win/win/win/wins),
• and positivity flowing through 2022!!

DreemPort is now, and will continue to be bringing all of that. And I'm alight with excitement for specifically what will come to fruition in 2022. The Dreemie Blue Tiger Fire Dragon is on fire right now. hehehe

I think these zodiac things are FUN. I do not base my life on them, I usually read them once every blue moon - JUST FOR FUN. I also think they help us to focus on things in a whimsical "what if" sort of way - when we can just think to the future and have some sort of vision for the year - things to watch for, things to shoot for... sort of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. I don't mean any disrespect to those who follow these zodiacs or horoscopes religiously. I simply do not myself. But what I do love, is that it gives us a moment to imagine, and set our hearts on things that we DO want. When I read this above, I prayed, "Lord, PLEASE let us as a global community SHAKE OFF these effects of the pandemic and TRULY roar back to life - not just in economy, but in unity, peace, joy, community, brotherhood, and love!"

So THAT will be my continued prayer - and I think it's FUN that it's also aligning with the Year of the Tiger.

Of course I HAD to ask this!!! lol Since I'm a Dragon (and a hidden Tiger lol) I had to know if my dual personalities are compatible with one another. hahahaha Perhaps the reason why I always needed to keep the Tiger caged is because she was trying to KILL THE DRAGON 🤣

Turns out, according to this - Tiger and Dragon are compatible. hehehe I really kind fell down the rabbit hole with this one too! I went to search more - for fun, people. Just for fun! hehe

Tiger contains different elements that give it the title of "King of the Mountain", while Dragon is a heavenly emperor that can rule 3 different environments. Apparently this is called "triphibious". Similar to a frog that is amphibious and live in water and on earth - triphibious can rule heaven, earth and water. How cool! I never heard of this before. According to Chinese Fortune Calendar if these two can work together, they become an invisible duo.

I know I know - I keep saying it's just for fun! hahahaha BUT THAT LINE right there made me all kinds of fired up! As I sat reflecting on this... it really made me want to challenge myself to not keep the Tiger caged! But to allow her to bring what she does BEST - AND CONTROL HER.

So that's my challenge for this year.

As for particular goals, oh boy - I have many. hahahaa And @snook is going to be getting those goals in writing so she can keep me accountable! LOL But for the overarching theme of this year - it's going to be "Unleashing the Tiger, marrying her to the Dragon, and watching how they unite to become invincible this year".

Doesn't matter if you were born in the Year of the Tiger, the Dragon, the Rat, Dog, Pig or ANYTHING. I'm encouraging us all to unleash the GOOD AND CONTROLLED fire that's inside of us this year. Whatever has been marinating, waiting, hoping, drEEming.... bring it to life this year.

I claimed this year a long time ago, without knowing that the last 2 years of oppressive horror, fear, and anxiety would lead us directly into it.

Ignite your dreems, dreemers ❤️

Line divider created through canva images and pixabay

Year of the Dragon pic by Junoteamllc

Little Blue Tiger logo created by @jimramones for Dreemflare. Use only with permission, please.