Madness, it became convenient to believe quite early on, came with the territory, on the order of earthquakes. - Joan Didion

To assign unanswered letters their proper weight, to free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves — there lies the great, the singular power of self-respect. Without it, one eventually discovers the final turn of the screw: one runs away to find oneself, and finds no one at home.

Mourning has its place but also its limits.

The past could be jettisoned . . . but seeds got carried.