dpaul's dragon race
Every January at Chinese New Year, we swap out a cheap resin figurine of the previous year's animal to the new one on our shelf in the living room. Neither of us has so much as a drop of Chinese blood in us, nor are we especially beholden to astrology as a means of divining the future, but as our friend meriko has said, we believe there are fractals larger than we can see. The universe dances to the rhythm of its own symphony of metronomes, and it is not unreasonable to think that patterns large and small influence occurrences in everyday life.
This year is the Year of the Dragon, considered a time of significant change. Specifically, this particular dragon is a black dragon. According to tradition, you cannot see the head and tail of the black dragon at the same time, so when change comes, it will come unexpectedly.
Earlier this year, dpaul left his job. This was not unexpected; rather, it had been the result of a process set into motion months previously. As he endeavored to find new work in his field, he found his heart wasn't in it. That chapter of his life was closed, just as a similar one in mine had two years previously, almost to the day.
One evening, we were hanging around the living room, spitballing ideas on what potential paths could be. Out of the figurative blue, I asked, "what about real estate?" At first it sounded preposterous. And then, it began to sound appealing. As we started breaking down the necessary skills and assets, it suddenty sounded like destiny. And so began a new chapter. Thanks, dragon!
Suddenly, I was in the position of being, at least temporarily, both freelance writer and chief breadwinner in the household. Two years of freelancing had brought a somewhat steady stream of work, but not exactly enough to support a San Francisco mortgage. And then, on the precise click of the universe's metronome, the dragon turned again, and assignments materialized seemingly out of nowhere. Projects that had lain fallow sprouted anew, and existing projects bore new fruit.
We have always believed the universe to be an abundant place. Sometimes that abundance isn't where you expect it to be, but it's there.
Yesterday morning, after months of study and preparation, dpaul took and passsed his test at the DRE, and so today you can call him RE#01920566. Romantic, no? And may I recommend that you follow him on Facebook, where he'll be posting about things beyond real estate (because, you know, yawn). Also, sign up for his monthly newsletter, which again will have information about goings-on in the city at large. Who knows? It might even have some good food tips. Not that he knows anyone who could contribute that.