May the fourth be with you.

I said it a few times today, always with a wink or a smile. Some people didn’t get it, while most people my era or younger did.

It made me consider the seasons of life for some strange reason. Like the tide rolling out and back in, Star Wars has been a part of my life for almost the entire thing.

I remember vaguely watching the star battles as a small child, thinking they were so exciting and dramatic. But the movies passed out of my mind for decades, until they reappeared in a cheesier format.

New, shiny, and with better special effects, it somehow seemed to lack the heart and the urgency of remembered from the original.

I mentally shrugged and went about my life.

And then a new set of movies appeared, ready to capture a new generation.

Sure, the stalwarts complained they aren’t true to the lore, that they don’t and can’t live up to the originals.

But I’m on the side of the wide eyed child this time. Sure, it’s Hollywood. It’s not real life. But for the first time since I hit my teens I feel invested in the franchise. I care about what happens to the characters

(Anakin was such a whiny brat. Never liked the guy. Seriously. And none of those movies made sense to me. But I digress)

I care what happens again. I was devastated at the real life loss of Princess Leia, the one Disney princess worth living up to (other than Mulan. But she saved CHINA) but captivated by Rey.

So today, on the most Star Wars-y of days,

May the Fourth be with you.

And I can’t wait to see what happens next.

(I’m looking at you, Solo)