I found this piece of writing in my archives from 2020 It was as if time itself had paused. I lay there in stillness, gazing blankly at the towering trees that surrounded me—twenty acres of gentle giants, standing guard over my solitude. I had taken a dear friend’s offer to retreat to his off-grid mountain cabin, where phone reception was scarce and silence reigned supreme. A week away from the endless hum of life felt long overdue. My family was hesitant when I told them I’d