Martha called to tell me it had arrived and asked whether I wanted her to read it.

I surprised both of us by saying no.

Martha put it in an envelope with the date written on the front, in case my lawyer later needed it, then changed the subject to whether I would be home for Sunday dinner.

The business continued to grow slowly.

We hired an associate after a careful review of cash flow, not as proof that I was winning.

I began to understand that survival could look mundane: paying employees on time, keeping a doctor’s appointment, answering a client carefully, sleeping through a whole night.