That's the talk of a John Bytheway talk, and it's my favourite :) It probably helps that I listened to it in the last 2 months - and it coincided with my self-inflicted TV ban.
If you hang out with us a bit, you probably already know that we don't have our TV hooked up, so we can only watch DVD's on it. This would of course be easy to remedy, except neither of us were particularly keen on doing so - I grew up without our TV hooked up, and James thinks it's a waste of time.
I have an addictive personality. For example, I used to be addicted to chocolate, and now I'm addicted to exercise (sob...). I always like having something on in the 'background' while I'm doing my housework, and can 'down' an entire TV series in a few days. In the last couple of months before about 2 months ago I found myself borrowing or renting TV series' and constantly having them on.
The last series I borrowed I jokingly called my 'soap opera'. It was a teen drama and I knew it was pretty terrible, but I 'had' to keep watching anyway, once I'd started. I watched 4 seasons.
I think little by little, the shows I had been watching deteriorated in more than quality - they deteriorated in language and morals as well. I would never want my children to watch that last series I watched - it was terrible!
I realised that I wasn't spending near enough time playing with Maggie with my full attention - there was always a piece of me glued to that set. AND if I was watching something pretty awful, how could I expect our home to feel like a temple and be a place the spirit could dwell?
So then I swore off TV for a while.
I don't know how I ever fit it in.
Our home is definitely more our home. I have not been letting in all those characters and their homes - we do our own thing here.
I am more really there for Maggie, and Ana.
We sing and dance a lot around the house and play good music all the time. Maggie loves it :)
I've read a lot of books while feeding and treadmilling.
I've listened to a bunch of good talks on CD :)
I've cleaned a lot more.
Dinner has been on the table when James gets home most nights.
I go to bed earlier and so I can get up earlier and work out.
In the evenings James plays the guitar and I read or try to catch up on my private blog, and get the dishes done so it's all fresh for the morning. Plus we talk more.
I don't think about random characters who don't exist, and wonder what they will do next (isn't it pathetic that I ever did?!!).
In 'Turn off the TV and Get a Life' John Bytheway talks about a time in college when he used to watch TV for about 2 hours each night before bed. Then one day he decided to go to bed 2 hours early, and get up 2 hours early, and work on a book he'd always wanted to write. He said he exchanged his 2 most non-constructive hours with his two most constructive hours, and he wrote that book - his first one, and it obviously changed his life!
Anyway, I'm loving it. I'm scared to ever watch anything again, because it's so good having all my time to myself! I think it's okay with movies - it's just the TV series that suck me in.
And my mind is clear and free and ready for me to fill it with constructive things! :)
I am loving it :) My head detox :)
5 comments:
I LOVE this post! I am so with you on this. I really can't stand TV and don't care if we never have one hooked up either. We watch dvd's on our computer in our room and it's hard enough finding an appropriate movie to watch. Occasionally we watch the news or reality shows with Nanna -but only good ones like Masterchef or Australia's got Talent. Everything else is utter rubbish! Seriously. Even commercials - terrible! I do not want my children watching tv either. My home is the only place I have complete control and can decide what I will allow in. "Home can be a heaven on earth".. but not when the tv is on. I'm glad there are others out there that share the same feelings as me :)
I totally know about your addictive personality. You've been addicted to my company for YEARS now! :) Actually, it's funny to hear you say that, because I always describe myself as having an addictive personality too! I reckion it's a real blessing we're not allowed to gamble, or I'd have a serious problem (just one more, Just one more). And I had to promise myself many years ago that I'm never allowed to buy something off the television - even if it looks like a REALLY good deal. Actually, I always liked not having a TV too. Although we've suddenly got one in our new house now - it's the first time in 5 years that I've had one, and I'm trying to put some very strict rules in place in my head (ie. Don't look at the TV, don't look at the TV!) :)
Sounds like you're doing great!
xo Tammy
HA! We, too, dont have TV (we live too far in the mountains to get good reception) but I totally know what you mean by getting sucked in!!
I LOVE Grey's Anatomy - we watched the first season on our honeymoon, and havent stopped since...although it made me pause for a little while when, at the end of season 5, George dies!!! I was totally DEVESTATED!!!!! Like...REALLY!!
And that was about the time that I realised that I needed a break.
Now we watch much more 'worthwhile' shows like The West Wing (cos Husband loves it) and because its much better suited, with its content and language, to what we would like to achieve in our home :)
Good for you for choosing to excercise instead of watching TV! :)
OH Abby, i SO needed to read this!! We have our tv in the back room and never watch it during the day. We never used to watch it at all! Lately, since we've had Summer, there are more nights then not when we 'tv it' which is really code for relaxing on the couch, but still... it's become the norm! I hate it!! We usually tape any shows that we like and can watch them anytime, but i definately am addicted to a few... :( I KNOW how much of my time is being spent on it, and needed a wake up call!
Thank you!!
3 episodes of Glee project left tho... argh!!! The singing is so pretty!
I agree with Talia that the commercials are one of the worst things about TV. (We haven't had TV for so many years that I'm not terribly familiar with the current crop, but I always thought that - even if you choose your programs carefully, the commercials are not something you have any control over.) I also agree with Talia that our homes are the one place on earth where we do have control, and it seems a real shame to let the world in through the TV.
I never remember us ever being bored without TV or DVD's.. Do you? :)
xoxo
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