After four years of avoiding the plague like the plague, I contracted COVID...right after the start of the new year, right when it's time to get one's ducks in a row, fill in the planner(s,) and finesse everything into tip-top shape. People react differently to the virus, and in my self-imposed physical isolation, I endured an inordinate emotional isolation as well--alleviated only by binge-watching the entire 5 seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in 10 days.