A Year in Abeyance

I decided to take 2026 off. No social media; no media at all: just me and my sailboat meandering around the Pacific.

I left San Diego on December 31, 2025. “Call if you need anything,” I told my brother as I left. I’d left my phone at home.

365 days.

Warm seas, fiery sunsets, crystal lagoons, white sandy beaches.

I returned on December 31, 2026. The sky looked grey, and I could smell burning. My brother was waiting, looking gaunt, his stare a thousand yards long. I hugged him with well-tanned arms.

“So,” I said brightly. “What did I miss?”

*What do you mean, my daydreams formed themselves into a story? I wouldn’t want to do this. Probably.

** I decided on abeyance since it’s a nice, unusual word. It’s just a happy coincidence it sounds like “a bay”