All the treasures—gma’s baby clothes and those unworn stockings and bloomers from her wedding shower, doilies she made, the old, worn kitchen tools—are stowed in the boxes in the closet where I keep my mother’s things or in the cupboards where they rest for use. And that’s it; all’s done.

The realization that there is no one else to leave keepsakes or nest eggs is unsettling. I have my aunts and uncles and cousins, but their interests are focused appropriately in nuclear directions. It's just me now.

But so much of family is the one you grow; good people populate mine. I’m ready to direct a personal legacy from the ones I inherited and the one I make; it’s long since undertaken.Yesterday, I flippantly told a friend that the 30s are the new 20s. The longer the statement sits with me, the more apt it seems for contemporary American living—for my life.

Friends have been calling to check in, sometimes daily. It’s great that people keep me in their thoughts and take the time to chat. I feel removed from the world. Even Andrew seems far away; his skin is suddenly impermeable. But really it’s me hidden behind the thickness.

Last week I got my hair cut. I told Douglas I was almost ready to cut it off (I've been wearing it in a ponytail most of the time to keep it from annoying me), but that I'd give excessive layering a try first. He said he loves long curly hair and so he would make sure the layers worked. Some parts, particularly around my face, are now quite short (even for a ponytail), and it looks a lot like that picture (left) that was taken in a Seoul subway Prontofote, Amelie stylie. I haven’t been too impressed with the cut, but everybody else loves it.

Today was my first visit to the physical therapist and it was a blast. I loved learning all about my body’s alignment and misalignment, and I loved all that attention. The PT has a great personality and was overwhelmingly positive about recovery and conquering worlds and stuff. She’s an athlete, a bicyclist, and all these Nancy-type shots of her and her bike decorate the walls. I told her the appointment was a fun time and she said to wait until I bring in my bike because that would be incredibly fun. So next time, she’s going to check out bike geometry. When the pain goes away, she said she’d have me running again.