Dear Readers, Happy Lunar New Year! And Happy Groundhog Day! Interestingly, for me, both of these holidays are connections I hold from the years I lived in Philadelphia. I’d never lived in a city with an actual Chinatown before, and I was delighted to experience the Lunar New Year celebrations for the first time. I loved the traditions — eating long noodles for prosperity, sharing red envelopes, snapping firecrackers on the ground and embracing the energy of a new animal year with intention.
I also came to love Punxsutawney Phil and the utterly ridiculous spectacle of his emergence each year. Despite living so close, I never actually made it to Punxsutawney, though I added it to my bucket list. One year, I discovered that several YouTube channels offer a livestream of the adorable pre-dawn festivities leading up to his big moment. Since then, watching Phil’s prognostication has become my own quirky tradition — just as celebrating the Lunar New Year has been for the past 20 years.
This lunar calendar marks the Year of the Wood Snake, which feels perfectly timed. The snake is patient, grounded and strategic. She sheds her skin to grow, embracing change rather than resisting it. I’ve encountered many snakes while hiking, paddling Texas rivers and even spotted a few sea snakes while surfing in Costa Rica. My instinct has always been to freeze and let her pass, hoping I do nothing to disturb her. Other folks react differently sometimes — flailing, scrambling or even choosing violence, but I don’t believe fear or aggression is the way. We cannot control how others react, only how we respond. That is an important mantra for me when striving toward my own resilience: What can I control? What can I let go? I think this is also the mantra of the snake. And for that matter, the same goes for Punxatawny Phil.
Leave it to me to find a connection between Phil and this year’s Wood Snake. Each critter emerges from a place of stillness — Phil from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob, the snake from the warmth of the Earth. One signals the shifting of the seasons, and the other embodies transformation itself. Both of them remind us that growth requires movement as well as patience. Sometimes, the right thing to do is to just sit tight and wait. Other times, the right thing to do is shed and let go of the past to move forward. And we must understand when it is best to strike.
In San Marcos, connected by the steady flow of the ancient river, we have our own reminders of renewal and trans- formation. The river is constantly moving and changing, yet it remains still and timeless. Similar to how the water fights against dams and carves new paths, so too can we sculpt new paths and shape our futures. As this Aquarius New Moon welcomes the Lunar New Year, it is a perfect time to reflect and set intentions. Even if you’ve already made (or abandoned) your 2025 resolutions, this cosmic moment offers a chance to clarify your vision.
Maybe it’s time to update goals, create a vision board, or simply embrace a fresh perspective on the year ahead while letting go of those thoughts and habits that are constricting us. This year, I hope to embrace the wisdom of the snake — to act with intention, to trust my instincts, and to release what no longer serves me. Whether Phil sees his shadow or not, spring will come. Change is inevitable. The question is, how will we greet it?
Wishing you grounded transformation, wisdom and well-timed movement.
Go Rattlers!
XOXO,
Kelly Stone is an educator, comedian, mother, and author who loves the heck outta the river. She welcomes e-letters at kellystone.org or kellystonecomedy@gmail.com and adores handwritten notes and postcards via good ol’ snail mail: R das Combatentes da Grande Guerra 47, FRAC R, Aveiro, Portugal 3810-087.
