Lou left yesterday for Bangalore then Mumbai and won’t be back until Sunday afternoon. My usual routine to combat the loneliness is to turn on the TV as soon as I’m done with my workouts. It’ll stay on in the kitchen and sometimes the bedroom all day long. The only problem with this approach is that it sucks me into its world and won’t let go until I fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning. It also leaves me feeling more lonely and nervous about being home alone because my go-to shows are crime dramas. After only one day of this routine I’m exhausted and it starts wearing on my willpower to get out of bed or be productive in any adult way. That pattern has to stop. I’ve wasted too much time being mesmerized by meaningless TV shows. Thank goodness for the volunteer work I’m committed to doing or, aside from letting the dogs in and out and feeding and watering them, I would stay in my pjs all week long flipping channels like a gambling addict pushing the “Bet Max” button and getting nothing in return. Beginning today, I am boycotting the TV (except during my trainer sessions) in favor of reading (even more), listening to Audible, Pandora, Amazon Prime, or just the scary sound of my own thoughts. My plan is to stick to my training schedule, get all the chores in my job jar done, all my errands run, the cookies baked and sent, a book or two checked off my “To Read” list, a few more pages written, and greet Lou at the door on Sunday with a general feeling of well-being and accomplishment.