Reading this thread has made me realize that last year I was alone and lonely, but this year, I'm alone and not lonely. My loneliness from the previous year probably contributed to my ending up with the sloth in the first place.
I think all the positive changes I made during and after my breakup have greatly attributed to my current lack of loneliness. The personal training, therapy, making more time with my friends, and even posting on Love Forum have helped me feel much more grounded, connected, and self-caring.
“Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist”--George Carlin