Can you live without television?

Here's a really great article on why you shouldn't watch television.  The only reason we have television in our home is because my husband wants one (he likes football and golf) and I've compromised.   He said he cannot live without television (even though he complains that there's nothing worth watching on), and if he must give it up, I'll have to give up the Internet.  Since a computer and the Internet are such integral elements to my work (and keeping in touch with friends), I cannot imagine my life without it.  So we compromise, as do all successfully and happily married people.

When I reinvented my life in 1998 and moved back to Virginia with my daughters, we found ourselves too busy for television.  I didn't even have one hooked up for many months and guess what?  I loved it!  I never missed it.  Less than a year later, when I met my husband and we eventually began to live together and got custody of his daughter as well, we made a decision to not have television in our living room on the main floor of our previous home.  We had one in the finished basement, and even one in our bedroom on the upper level (I did eventually get rid of that, thank goodness!), but we just decided we had enough on our plates with all the kids, our jobs, our gardens, and each other, to waste any of our valuable time on t.v.  My son came back home to live with us during this time as well, so we had four teenagers living with us and, for a time, my father-in-law, and then my best friend.  We never missed having that constant noise in the background, and I have to say that our kids (and we) had a great time.  Their friends were always over and we actually visited with each other.  No distractions...I'd put on some good music (classical many times), and we would sit in the living room and talk and laugh and have absolutely great times.  Laughter was a constant in our home, and there was a sense of peace and happiness that everyone loved and enjoyed.  We had a remarkable time in those days and Ed and I often talk about how wonderful it was.  I truly think we gave our kids, ourselves, and their friends a lovely gift.  Some of the kids' friends still want to come over to spend the night and listen to classical music and just visit.  I love that.

My father in law gave my husband a big-screen television last year (very nice!), and we have really enjoyed actually being able to see the picture when we do watch it now.  I actually love it (thank you again, Jim!), but more for watching a movie now and then or the National Geographic channel.  Yeah, yeah, I'm old.  But most days, especially when I'm at home, I use it for listening to the music channels.  I just have better things to do, like enjoy the life I've been blessed with.

If you can't live without it, it's a great idea to consider at least cutting down on it, especially if you have children.  Give them the gift of your time, your thoughts, your attention.  Most of the junk on television is a total waste of time, not to mention an insult to one's intelligence.  Read a book.  Grow a garden.  Take up a craft.  Volunteer.  Take a class.  Take a walk!  Get out there and LIVE!!!