明けましておめでとうございます.
For reasons I explained in a previous new year post, Japan marks the change of lunar zodiac animal with the change of the solar year. Mixed temporal metaphor, I know. It is what it is.
2026 is the year of the horse.
I don't see many horses underwater. Best I can do is a seahorse, which of course is actually not a type of horse, but you get the idea.
The above photo depicts a male Hippocampus haema seahorse giving birth.
The male goes through a series of full-body contractions, convulsions, twists and turns, during which he ejects a full assembly line of mini-me seahorses. As you can see, the babies greet the world in curled-up launch configuration, unfurling in the blink of an eye, fluttering out into pitch-black darkness. Birth happens in the middle of the night, presumably to minimise chances of predation.
In some ways, birth is an apt metaphor for the arrival of a new year. It marks a moment of renewal, with all the promise and potential of what lies ahead; when energy and enthusiasm peak, when everything seems possible. Challenges lie ahead of course—situations to be faced, managed, hopefully overcome.
Something to ponder before setting forth into 2026.