At forty-three, I bought my first house. I’d wanted one like crazy. A house meant family, a happy childhood for my little girl and for the little girl self inside me. . . . I was soon overwhelmed by the upkeep and overcome by the yard work. . . . In the bright light of closing, it was obvious: it was never a house I wanted; it was what a house symbolized to me. (254)

Younger by the Day: 365 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Body and Revitalize Your Spirit