Conscious Living

I stopped watching television earlier this week. Gone. Cold turkey. I haven't turned it on since sometime Monday or Tuesday. I wasn't watching much before then, but I've been thinking about the job I'm starting next week, and how I'm going to work into my days and weeks all of the things I want to do. And television seemed like the easiest thing to cut out.

I don't handle television well. I rarely watch just one show. I get sucked into Real World marathons, or episode after episode of Friends, or Sex in the City. I sit down, and then before I know it, I'm prone on the couch, channel-surfing. Hours go by, and then my eyes glaze over and drool is running down my face. Sure, it's a peaceful existence. But here's the thing: I think TV generally makes me unhappy. It blocks me from doing things that make me happy, like being outside, or with friends, or writing, or drawing, or exercising, or cooking, or baking, and the end result is I'm kind of dissatisfied and restless, and a little bit grumpy, even.

So I've begun my television cessation program. I've made a conscious decision to walk by my television. To not turn it on. I don't mean to say that I won't ever watch television again. I will. And I'm not advocating that others should stop watching TV. I'm just trying to do it in a way that feels more, well, conscious. Where it's actually a decision, and not just a reflex.