I accidentally went a week without watching TV and it was amazing. I know it sounds near impossible that this could happen, but it did. Between moving out of my house at school, getting all my stuff home, and starting my summer job. After a summer of big-eating and watching I would have figured that a week away from Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and On Demand would have been both boring and stressful but it proved to be the exact opposite.
First of all I remembered that there are other things to do late at night than eat food I am not hungry for and watch movies I have seen 407 times this week. Talking to people for starters. Sure, TV can be a social event when it comes to sports games and whatnot but sitting on couch with people staring at the TV is not the same as actually hanging out with them. So I talked to people, my siblings, high school friends, and even my parents were in the mix. Not only did I get to catch up with them, but I ended up having interesting conversations that actually made me use my brain. Now I am all for mindless activities, but every once in awhile a conversation that actually sparks interest and curiosity is pretty nice. Its nice of course because afterwards I immediately get a big head and assume my friends and I are the great thinkers of our generation just for agreeing that it would make so much more sense if "rush hour" was actually called "gridlock hour"(but that idea is for another time and place).
Second, I read a few books. Granted I already like to read but I had forgotten that it was an option when I have nothing to do. Instead of falling asleep to another episode of Parks and Rec I could crack open one to those pickles of paper called a book. This week instead of looking back and wondering if I watched two or three seasons of Louie I wondered about the things I had read about: Was General George Patton's dead an accident or like Killing Patton made it seem was there some espionage stuff going down over in Europe? Is Jim Gaffigan right when he says Wendy's is the fact version of McDonalds? and If I was a blind girl during World Ward II would I have survived?
Finally, I remembered to go outside for goodness sake. We built houses and shelter and all this stuff so that we could be safe and warm to sleep, but when we are awake we are meant to be outside. I reminded myself that I am not an infant or an unfortunate soul who is allergic to the sun. If its cold, put on a coat. If its hot drink some water. But either way stop living like a Hoarder Buried in stuff and take a walk.
All in all a week away from the old boob tube was a good thing for me. Now I would never suggest people give up TV for good. I am not a lunatic. TV and Netflix have offered me some of the best nights hanging out with myself, but just remember when you aren't asleep or at school and work there is a world of things out there, not just fake worlds on a screen.
