STAYING AT HOME It was a Sunday afternoon. John had no particular plans, so he slept in and allowed himself to catch up on sleep he had missed during the week. It would not be a completely lazy day though, for he had a number of household chores to do. Perhaps most important of all were the unpaid bills that needed to be taken care of. Housing isn't free, after all. Rent, electricity, water, internet, student loans, and phone plans all have payments due. Thanks to technology, however, all of these can be paid online without leaving the house. Next, the laundry had piled up over the week, and a few loads would be necessary for the upcoming week. He never bothered to sort his laundry into whites, darks, and colors; instead, he would just throw in as much as he could each load, pour in some laundry detergent and fabric softener, and run the laundry machine. While he waited for each load to finish, he figured he would stay productive by doing the dishes and vacuuming the house. John's house was by no means spotless, but he did just a little bit each week to maintain what he could. This week, he would do some extra work in the kitchen. He cleaned out the fridge by throwing away expired foods. He also scrubbed the counters with disinfectant and brushed off all food crumbs to the floor. And he finished by sweeping the floor with his broom and dustpan. Mopping could wait another week, he thought. John was more interested in spending the rest of his day at the computer playing video games. He was a fan of strategy games and could spend hours coming up with new strategies to try out against his friends online and even in single player games. When he needed a break, he would occasionally get up for a quick stretch, peer out the windows, heat up some food in the microwave, and sit back down for more gaming. After spending too many hours in front of the computer, a small existential crisis would occur. Was it really all that wise to spend so much time gaming when it could be used for something more meaningful? Sure, there were videos he could watch online, but would that be any different? And so, he picked up the headphones in his bedroom and started to listen to some of the audiobook recommended to him by Jenny. Listening to the book instantly felt like the right use of his time and even opened up the opportunity for some self-reflection. As he kept listening, he wandered around his house. He opened and closed his closet doors for no particular reason. He put his hand on the couch and let it glide over as he walked across. There was no dining room table to repeat this action, as he lived by himself and usually ate in the kitchen or out on the balcony. Before he knew it, it was 10:00 pm. It was time for bed. While he didn't finish the audiobook, he certainly had something new to talk about next weekend when he would go to the family gathering. He could even bring Jenny and introduce her as the one who introduced him to the book.