adult New Year’s story

by Bill Tiepelman

Baby Dragon’s Dazzling New Year Bash

Baby Dragon’s Wild New Year Bash It started as a classy affair. The table was set with fine champagne, golden candles flickering gently, and an obnoxious amount of glitter covering every surface. Guests in tuxedos and shimmering dresses mingled under strings of fairy lights, chatting politely, toasting the year ahead. But then, waddling in from God-knows-where, came the baby dragon. Small but radiant, its scales shimmered in every imaginable color, as though it had rolled around in a pile of crushed disco balls. It stumbled up to the table, knocked over a champagne flute with its tail, and squawked loudly enough to silence the room. The little beast then made eye contact with the host, picked up a sparkler, and chirped as if to say, “This is my party now.” The dragon wasn’t exactly invited, but no one was brave enough to kick it out. Instead, they watched in stunned amusement as it commandeered the nearest champagne bottle, popped the cork with its tiny claws, and guzzled it like a frat boy at happy hour. Bubbles streamed down its chin as it belched a small puff of smoke, promptly singeing a nearby garland. “Who gave it booze?” someone hissed, but it was too late. The dragon had spotted the cheese plate. With alarming speed for such a small creature, it clambered onto the table, knocking over candles and scattering glitter into the air. It sniffed the brie, poked the gouda, and then chomped directly into the host’s expensive wheel of imported camembert. The room collectively gasped, but the dragon didn’t care—it had cheese, and it was going to town. By now, the baby dragon was a full-blown spectacle. It stood on the table, holding a sparkler in one claw and an uneaten cracker in the other, as if it were some kind of drunken medieval mascot. Someone turned up the music, and the dragon started swaying its hips, tail smacking indiscriminately into decorations, chairs, and one poor soul’s champagne tower. “This thing is a menace!” the host cried, attempting to shoo the dragon off the table with a serving tray. The dragon, feeling challenged, let out a tiny roar—more of a squeak, really—but it was enough to make the host rethink their life choices and sit quietly in a corner with a fresh drink. As midnight approached, the baby dragon was unstoppable. Its claws were sticky with champagne and mystery dip, and its wings were dusted with crushed party crackers. It had somehow acquired a party hat, perched lopsided on its head, and was holding court in the middle of the dance floor. Guests had given up on dignity and joined the little beast in what could only be described as a drunken conga line. Glitter rained from the ceiling as the countdown began. “TEN! NINE! EIGHT!” the crowd roared. The dragon, perched on someone’s shoulders, flapped its tiny wings in excitement, nearly toppling them over. “SEVEN! SIX! FIVE!” It tossed the sparkler into the air, where it landed in a punch bowl, fizzing out dramatically. “FOUR! THREE! TWO!” The dragon let out a triumphant screech, blowing a small puff of fire that set an unattended napkin aflame. No one cared. “ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!” The room erupted into cheers, hugs, and a cacophony of drunken celebration. The baby dragon, now thoroughly trashed, curled up in a pile of confetti and empty champagne bottles, snoring softly. Its party hat had slipped down over one eye, and its tiny claws clutched an uneaten piece of brie as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. As the night wound down and guests stumbled home, the host surveyed the wreckage of their once-pristine party. “Who the hell brought the dragon?” they muttered, picking up a singed party favor. The dragon snorted in its sleep, letting out one last puff of smoke. No one answered. After all, it didn’t matter. That little glittering monster had thrown the best damn party anyone could remember.     Explore More: Tiny Scales & Tails Collection If you loved the whimsical chaos of our New Year's baby dragon, don't miss your chance to bring this magical moment into your space! This enchanting image is available for prints, downloads, and licensing. Adorn your walls, spark conversations, or gift it to a fellow fantasy lover—this piece is perfect for celebrating magic and mischief in every season.

by Bill Tiepelman

Meditative Whiskers of Light

The Hippie’s Guide to New Year’s Resolutions Another year, another trip around the sun. That’s what I told myself as I sat on my meditation pillow in the corner of my living room, incense smoke curling around me like the mystical tendrils of my free-spirited youth. “New Year’s resolutions,” I muttered to my cat, Cosmic Steve, who blinked at me with the detached wisdom of a being that had seen me at my worst—like that time I tried to ferment my own kombucha in 1987 and ended up with a kitchen that smelled like a Woodstock porta-potty. I scratched my beard, now streaked with a respectable amount of gray, and pondered the challenge ahead. Resolutions. They were like trying to quit sugar while holding a box of organic vegan brownies—technically good for you, but still painfully hard. “Okay, Steve,” I said, “this year, I’m gonna be serious about it. No more excuses.” Resolution #1: Eat Healthier I dusted off an old juicer I’d bought at a yard sale in 1993. It had probably made juice for some long-lost commune in Oregon, judging by the faint smell of patchouli oil that still clung to it. I tossed in some kale, a carrot, and an apple for good measure. The juicer roared like an angry bear, spitting out what looked like swamp water. I took a sip, grimaced, and immediately followed it with a shot of tequila. Cosmic Steve looked at me as if to say, “You’ve learned nothing.” Resolution #2: Exercise More “Yoga,” I decided, rolling out a mat I’d bought in the 70s. It had more stains on it than a tie-dye shirt at a Grateful Dead concert. I stretched into downward dog, which quickly devolved into downward nap. Somewhere between child’s pose and corpse pose, I dozed off, only to wake up an hour later to the sound of Steve pawing at the juicer. Exercise was off to a rough start. “Maybe tomorrow,” I said, as I shuffled to the couch to watch reruns of That 70’s Show. Resolution #3: Be More Tech-Savvy This one was Cosmic Steve’s idea. Or at least I assumed so, given the way he always walked across my keyboard while I tried to Google “how to live off the grid in 2024.” I decided to finally set up a TikTok account to spread my hippie wisdom to the masses. It didn’t go well. My first video, titled “How to Make Macramé Dreamcatchers for Your Third Eye,” got exactly three views—one of which was me trying to figure out how to delete it. “Social media’s a trap, man,” I told Steve. He didn’t disagree. Resolution #4: Be More Organized I bought a planner. A really nice one with floral patterns and inspirational quotes like “The journey is the reward.” I promptly forgot where I put it. When I finally found it—underneath a pile of vinyl records—I realized I’d written “PLAN LIFE” on January 1st and nothing else. “This is fine,” I told myself. “Free spirits can’t be confined by calendars.” The New Year’s Epiphany By the end of the first week, my resolutions had devolved into vague intentions, like “maybe eat less cheese” and “think about jogging.” But then, during one of my evening meditations (okay, fine, I was lying on the couch with a glass of wine and some Pink Floyd), it hit me. Why was I trying so hard to be someone I wasn’t? I’d spent decades perfecting the art of being an old hippie soul. Resolutions were just societal constructs, man. They were like clocks and taxes—arbitrary rules meant to box us in. “Screw it, Steve,” I said. “My resolution is to keep being me.” The Final Lesson So here’s the deal: I didn’t lose weight, I didn’t run a marathon, and my TikTok career is probably dead before it started. But I did reconnect with the things that make me happy—sunsets, vinyl records, and the occasional questionable kombucha experiment. And maybe that’s what resolutions are really about. Not changing who you are, but doubling down on the parts of you that are already groovy. Happy New Year, man. May your vibes be good and your resolutions be optional.     Explore the essence of "Meditative Whiskers of Light" in our Image Archive. This vibrant, whimsical artwork is available for prints, downloads, and licensing. Perfect for adding a touch of colorful serenity to your space or project. Dive into the magic today!