Year of the Dragon

I find the Year of the Dragon to be a bit of a divergence from the rest of the Chinese astrological animals--they are all real things, this is something mythical. And why is the pretend animal the one that everyone considers so lucky? I would think you would want to have the intelligence of the monkey, for example. Maybe I am just jealous. I was born in the Year of the Pig. Not exactly the sort of animal that conjures up inspirational thoughts, to be sure. But it is an adaptable animal, one that is purported to be smart. It is versatile, it can survive on anything, and so maybe not terrible, but certainly not awe inspiring to look at--more of a beauty-is-skin-deep kind of an animal. The dragon, on the other hand, is spectacular to look at. It has all the cool qualities of a snake, with the added panache of a fictional character--the flowing main, the elegant snout, and the whole fire-breathing aspect is very nice. The dragon is considered to be a very lucky year to be born in--in China, couples delay childbearing to have a child in the Year of the Dragon. I didn't know that when I was having children, so I just lucked out to get one. Time will tell what great qualities he will bring to the world, and to fellow Dragons.