Friday, November 4, 2011

It's Not What You Miss, It's What You Think You'll Miss

Day 168 (Year Two)

After 5 months of not watching TV, I broke the "fast" and watched one hour of TV last night. Between 10-11pm, I channel surfed and caught bits of Law & Order (dunh dunh), Gray's Anatomy, The Mentalist, Anderson Cooper and a glimpse in a fight in a women's prison. I saw "dead" bodies, blood and guts, serial killers, child abuse, ruined lives and sad stories. I do not miss TV, I do not miss it at all. I do not miss Glee, The Office, The Good Wife or Modern Family...I do miss As the World Turns since it went off the air in 2010. On the air since 1956, I watched that show all my life - my Mom watched it and so did her Mom. Grandma called it "the story"..."Did you watch the story today?" Love that.

Why did I turn on the tube? I had already "misbehaved" by ordering room service french fries (trying to cut back on bad food and quantity of said food consumed), so I think on some level I felt like I had already blown it on the food front so why not go ahead and break another "rule" I had set for myself. I guess I also thought that the fries would taste better in bed whilst watching TV. Really? OK, I also rationalized with intentions of watching the news to get caught up. Just a ruse.

After all was said and done, I was not smarter, more clued in, more entertained or more relaxed. Neutral at best, bad dream producing material at worst.

Isn't it so easy to break a rule once one has already been broken?

Isn't it so easy to make up reasons for why our off track behavior is OK even though is is not what we had agreed to do?

Isn't is so easy to imagine what we THINK we are missing? Then when we "get there" it is kind of, not really at all what we thought it was going to be?

In some ways I am glad I looked at the TV and reminded myself of why I do not really miss it at all. I was reminded that I could have spent that hour doing something else. Gotten another hour of sleep, posted a blog entry, written content for my website, read the day's paper or the great book I brought along.

I am happy to go back to no TV and have learned my lesson - a late learner on this one. Years ago, my Dad had what we now call a teachable moment with me as a 10th grader when I snuck out of my bedroom (via window) to go to Sherry Auclair's house to work on the Homecoming float late on a school night. I thought EVERYONE WOULD BE THERE and that if I didn't go that I would be the only one not there. Turns out, only 3 kids showed up because their parents wouldn't let them go out late on a school night. Yup. It's not what you miss, it's what you think you'll miss. Thank you Dad...so true!

Feels the same! I didn't really miss anything at Sherry's and I surely am not missing anything by not watching TV. I do need to work harder at getting the news - radio while driving and computer should do the trick.

Confession over - back on track!

Have a Nothing New Day! Kristin

1 comment:

  1. I just read that Andy Rooney of "60 Minutes" had pass away yesterday. He recently retired at age 92! This blog was reminiscent of the way he would talk about things. Interesting and very true.

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