Back in 2018 in the prologue of this pursuit of greater health, I wrote the following:

A wave of emotions ran over me...a deep hurt and a sense of loss of all the people, places, and events that were once so intrinsic to my life—all of that is gone or at the very least, simply out of reach. That which seems familiar and recent is the same that I realize happened years ago.

Is this Vedder's Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town? Do "hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away?"

I head out to claim that which was lost. I forge deeply...and refuse to punt into passivity. I leave the freezing of fears and the felicity of foods and head out to the les mauvaises terres à traverser tonight. I cleave the machination mooring and claim the imagination emancipation. I reject the parameters, the purposes, and the purports of others while denying within me the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion animatronics clanking in their uncanny valley.

An empty expanse lays out before me. The last embers of the day shirk into the horizon. The night awaits...

The thick with sweat summer breeze rolls away from the landscape on its drive down to the coast. In the thunderous applause of leaves, the forest stirs in excitement of autumn's approach. My heart soars in its own anticipation of the things to come. My movements are deft; my actions play out exactly as my preparation has plotted out. I have evolved into what years of planning and investment have contributed into my construction. The dream is no more; it has become reality.

Of course, I write today from a place that works toward that very moment later this year. Unlike past years, there's no gap in my vision; no break from my passion. I long for it...it is a deep thirst to reach for that moment in time.

I'm reminded by this candle next to my keyboard. Until now, I've elected not to burn it—wasn't appropriate...until now: Fall Festival. Oh, Across the Stars! When shall I find that moment?

Day 1 of 2021 wasn't just a fluke! This morning matches the same schema: 4AMish - 5AM-ish with Python, followed by a 100-120 minute workout while listening to an audiobook. I'm now on my 3rd book this year.

Unlike the life of Days Past, I approach each day very purposeful via calendar and task management platforms, all within the box of my thematic, three-pronged approach, like if Batman stole Aquaman's pointy stick! Sure, there are things outside of the box, but that's beyond the scope of how I Restore, Retrofit and Retrowave: Outrun the Night.

In some respects, it's a little weird to be writing from this vantage point, that is, the place where I didn't wind up on Facebook. I did look forward to the return, of course and will be back on New Year's Eve 2021; I only deactivated my account. For now, the greater advantage remains in the wilderness, driving through the neon nightscape.

While for months, I had thought all of my New Year's Eve references were for New Year's Eve 2020, I'm kinda like the Olympics: I'm pushing my social media emergence until NEXT year! Like this picture I took back in November shows, for now, I chose the solitude of the lakeshore:

(image removed)

It just didn't feel like the moment; I didn't feel like I'm there yet. I want to blow the doors off the folks who haven't seen me in years. And I'm afraid if I participate in community now, I'll be distracted from my drive. I haven't ruled out following social media in a broad sense, but not in any sort of participatory way. Places like Facebook require a lot of resources for me to maintain. As for now, I'll be investing that time into hitting my marks for 2021. I've got them all laid out under my New Year's Resolution list.

Already, I came out of the gates strong on the first day of the new year. I woke up in my 3-something hour and began my Python class. At 5, I did my lifting routine followed by my striking regimen as detailed on my Fit page. I feel absolutely awesome in my new Sanabul compression shirt and tights.

Who knew a carnivore diet would place my mind in such a strong frame of reference of my world?