Editor’s Welcome

Do you know what year this is? The Year of the Vaccine, you’re guessing? Well, we can only hope. But what we know for sure is that this is the Year of the Ox, and more specifically the Year of the White Metal Ox.

According to thechinesezodiac.org, “This year is going to be lucky and also perfect to focus on relationships, whether we are talking about friendships or love. In the Chinese Zodiac, the Ox is very hardworking and methodical. … The Yin energy, specific to the Chinese zodiac sign of Ox, will be quite poignant. This is going to be a year when we will fully feel the weight of our responsibilities, a year when it is necessary to double our efforts to accomplish anything at all. … 2021 is a year when all the problems get solved with discipline. A lot of discipline!”

Several Leaside families will be celebrating the Year of the Ox. One of those is our columnist, Suzanne Park, along with her husband, Warren, and daughter Zhen (also a Leaside Life contributor), who was born in China.

“We indulge in Chinese cuisine and Zhen bakes and decorates the official Zodiac cake, although this year we’ll have to eat the whole ‘Year of the Ox’ cake ourselves,” she writes. Chinese New Year is normally a very big celebration, with vibrant decorations, special foods, and of course, lots of friends stopping by.

While Covid has put paid to these in-person gatherings for the time being, the joy is still there, as well as anticipation that better times truly are on the way.

About Jane Auster 59 Articles
Jane Auster is the editor of Leaside Life. Jane is an award-winning professional editor and writer for print and digital who has covered a variety of industries in Canada for more than 25 years. As a print journalist, Jane has contributed to many of the major consumer magazine markets in Canada, including Maclean’s, Canadian Business, and The Globe and Mail.