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?"
whenever i explain my TV-free home, i tell people i'm not judging anyone else's TV-viewing choices (after all, i'm glad my friends don't mind me sitting in front of their screens every once in a while). the response is often a confession. for example, one coworker said she can't help turning her TV on for background noise when her husband is out of town. others express camaraderie,saying they hardly ever turn theirs on.
i don't know how long my new lifestyle will last. i might suddenly want to reconnect with contemporary culture and documentaries. and if i have children, i think i'd want them to learn, as i did from my parents,how to view with moderation and a critical eye. but if i do make space for a TV someday, i'm more confident now that l'll still find time and space for me.