The Great Experiment

I deliberately made the decision not to have a television in my new home. My daughter has a small one that she can play her GameCube on, but that's pretty much it. We don't have cable, nor do I intend to purchase it. We will have a DVD player hooked up to her t.v. at some point, and until then, my laptop does double-duty as a DVD player.

However, I will not have a television in my living room and, if I can do it, I also will not have a television in my bedroom.

I am trying to go t.v.-free.

I used to always want a room in my home where there wasn't a television blaring 24/7, where I could go and have peace and quiet to read or write or just sit and think. I never had that. So when I moved into my new home, I made a conscious decision to leave the television behind.

Instead, I bought me this very cool retro radio that has a record player, CD player, tape player, and AM/FM radio. I love it. I've been listening to lots of music, both new and old, and listening to the radio a lot. In fact, on election night, I had it tuned to NPR (largely because my Internet was not hooked up) and I thought, "Hey, this is how they used to get their election news - via the radio. Who needs a t.v.?"

Last evening, I switched on my fireplace, put on some music, and settled down with my manuscript. With no television to distract me, and no having to tune in to the latest segment of The Most Popular Show (i.e. Grey's Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars, etc., etc., etc.), I could sit and relax and become immersed in my story. I read more of Stephen King's On Writing and even wrote a letter using old fashioned pen and paper.

The amazing thing? Without a t.v., I have tons of time to do what I want to do. My time is my own and not dictated by whatever television program is on next. And even more important, I've created a peaceful, calm, and relaxing atmosphere.

My daughter asked me why we didn't have a t.v. and I explained to her that we didn't need one. After a brief period of "I'm bored!", she quickly came up with something to do. In this case, she decided to draw, something she hasn't done since the move.

Not having t.v. has forced me to concentrate on what I really want to be doing. Believe me, it's not easy. All I wanted to do when I got home from work last night was lay on the couch and just switch on the television. Only I didn't have one to switch on! So I was forced to do something else. And I'm so glad I did.

How long will I last without the television? I hope permanently. While I will miss my Turner Classic Movies channel and the History Channel, I have plenty of DVDs to choose from when I want to relax and watch a movie. But not having a television keeps me from mindlessly surfing through channels that I otherwise would never watch.

I certainly have nothing against those who love their television programs. In fact, I sometimes feel a bit left out when I hear people talking about what happened last night on their favorite show. But in the end, I had to make this decision for myself to try and find more time for the things that I want to do. Since I'm a mother and also have an 8-5 job, my time is pretty valuable and I have to guard it wisely.

So what say you? Am I plain crazy for trying this or unbelievably smart? ;-)