The year the pandemic finally got me. The year I finally got out of the country. The year I took refuge. The year I found my white whale. The year I saw the sun set on the Nile. The year I gave up on Star Wars. The year Star Wars brought me back. The year I owned Burt. The year I quit Twitter. The year I started listening to podcasts. The year I met Enneaka. The year the festival was easy. The year the inchworm stopped rolling. The year I hit the gym. (The year I fell off the treadmill.) The year I crossed the frozen lake. The year I crushed on Danielle Deadwyler emptying a wineglass. The year I became a YouTube influencer. The year I upgraded to 4K. The year I said “be reliable.” The year the book sold out. The year I liked a musical. The year I tasted the brine. The year the sea called me home. The year I saw Spielberg. The year I rolled film. The year I understood every word of The Silmarillion. The year I cried watching Stranger Things (again). The year I realized Rue was the problem. The year I cosplayed. The year I chickened out on Hallowe’en. The year I quit on a Star Trek show. The year I entered my hoss phase. The year she found the trigger point. The year I couldn’t walk. The year I walked plenty, anyway. The year I put my head in my hands as the credits rolled. The year I sat in the window. The year I swam under the boat. The year I touched the desert. The year I brought home the oil.