Yi, the Gift of Happiness

This painting symbolises my name because happiness, the meaning of my name, always eludes those who seek it continuously. Instead, it chooses to flutter around those who enjoy simple things in life. Those who are happy with their lives, no matter how difficult the obstacles they face. That is how I see the way I live my life. My name, Yi, means happiness, joy and delight in Mandarin. A wish, made by both parents so my life be filled with happiness. My mother hoped for me to be wealthy, healthy, and intelligent. My father just wanted me to be, put simply, joyful. He was the one who decided, and persuaded my mother to name me “happy”-literally. In my opinion, the wish came through. I have always seen myself as optimistic, jovial, like the first star you see in the night. It may be small, but it’s vivid and loud, calling for some, if not more, interest in it. My siblings were named in the same way, Xing meaning blessed and Zhe meaning wise. Nasty words, sneaky comments and the like won’t have colossal effects as those sly little words will wash away with the wind, out into the blackness of space. Even teasing will be taken lightly, to an extent. Hence, in my younger years, “Yigirl” which many relatives tended to call me, sounds similar to eagle. When I was little, I believed my name meant the majestic eagle, soaring though the sky. So however harsh any of my cousins were, none made me really angry . Yi, short but sweet. Just right for a simple person, like me.