i once unplugged the TV for a month. It was summer, the season of long walks, barbecues, and reruns. But I knew it I really wanted to prove I could avoid evening television, I'd have to survive a New England winter without it. In the darkest, coldest months,I would no longer be able to escape. This winter, I had my test.
A year ago I moved into my own place. It was just a few minutes away from my former roommate-and her television. Friends offered me a spare TV,but I said no. Living alone was an opportunity to choose how I wanted to live. And I thought that being TV-free would help me do all those things I wanted to do but didn't have time for.
I wondered if would feel lonely, but decided it would be better not to try to spend time with my"friends" on TV In the first month or so, I got away from my favorite show by visiting real friends. Eventually,I didn't know what TV shows were on when. I could no longer join in conversations at my office about popular shows.
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 lost of books. I had thought that I was too tired to read after along 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.
the goal wasn't to give up all entertainment. I can play DVDs on my laptop,so when a blizzard was on its way, I lined up in a video store with everybody else. Instead of channel-surfing and watching something I would later regret, I caught up on some great DVDs. I found myself resensitized. I was no longer watching images without noticing their speed.
sometime during the winter, the season i thought would be the most difficult,i discovered i had crossed the line from experiment to lifestyle. finally, i put up a photo on the only living room , she asked,"so,don't you have a TV?"