I kept telling people it was an experiment: "We'll see how it goes this winter," I'd say. I considered buying a small TV to keep in the closet and bring out on special occasions. But for all I was missing, I could feel positive changes. I found myself reading lots of books. I had thought that I was too tired to read after a long day at work, but not too tired to watch TV. Now I had more time to read and sleep. I also started doing volunteer work almost every week instead of every few months. I called friends who usually heard from me only at the holidays. Sometimes I even enjoyed that rare thing called quiet.