I’m an empty-nest mom, widowed since 1999. I share my house and bed with a Labrador retriever named Saint. I have a Ph.D. in mathematics and work in a soul-sucking job in one of the focal points of stress in the universe: the Washington DC area. My son—my only progeny—is in law school at UVA. I lived in Michigan (14 years), Arizona (10 years), and northern California (13 years) before moving to Virgina in 1989. I’m waiting to see where my son ends up before deciding where to spend the next chapter of my life.