Dragons and other Mythical Creatures...

Birthdays are good days to remember who we are, and honor ourselves. There's been some discussion recently on a list I follow, about whether, if one could be a pet, one would be a dog, or a cat. "Dogs have owners, cats have staff". I suspect actually, that I was the catalyst for that particular thread. On reflection, I've decided I'm a dragon. Not an original conclusion. My mother dubbed me "dragon lady" long ago, partly because I was born in the Chinese year of the Dragon, and partly because, my personality, even at that age, fit her idea of what a dragon was. For years I've enjoyed reading Sci-Fi/fantasy dragon stories; they're as varied as the authors who pen them. When you combine all these modern stories about dragons with earlier mythology on the subject, its possible to conclude that no one really knows enough about dragons--including whether or not they exist, outside fertile imaginations. They could be wise, or downright venal, ethical, or stupid and cruel. Large, small, extinct, well-adapted and living among us...; the possibilities are endless. Most accounts agree that they have scales at some point in their existence, and that they have a rather different way of looking at the world. Oh yes...and that Dragons have Hoards. What they hoard...well, that seems to be as individual as the dragon in question. Like the fey, and unicorns, it takes a person with an abiding sense of wonder to really see them. Not that there may not have been many dragon sightings over the milennia; but, as with UFO's etc., people see what they expect to. Which leaves a great deal of latitude for self-definition... I'd make a rotten pet. I make a fascinating dragon. This morning, as I look in the mirror, checking to make sure my scales are properly polished, I make a point to remind myself to look on all things with wonder. That way I will see wonders. Who knows,...I may spot another dragon.