Mindless feels like the center of this photo.
I have a very dear neighbor who finds it odd that we don’t have cable in our house. Every now and then she gives me a little “tsk, tsk” and we joke about life without cable. If you are a cable lover or an employee of a cable company, please don’t leave me a nasty post or anything. Years ago, my husband and I gave up cable. Then we got a little cable to get local channels. Recently, we got rid of that too.
Now, we’re down to entertainment that we get from internet access and programming. I like this. This is what I can’t explain to her in a five-minute conversation on the front lawn. I simply don’t have the time for real TV anymore. Keeping up with characters and a lot of shows takes me away from things I gotta do. Instead, I need something mindless.
Never a dull moment
When I was little, I spent a lot of time in front of the TV. I enjoyed lots of shows and remarkably can still remember a lot of theme songs. I find this funny when on many days I go into a room and can’t remember what I walked in it to get. My life is different now; filled with mental and real to-do lists.
It seems I am always moving, tasking, or touching something. When I discovered the series “Downtown Abbey”, I was killing myself to get my day wrapped up and the girls snug in their beds by showtime. It was work. And to even go back and watch it later took effort. I’ve got a bigger venture going on in my house and the script is creative and very real. I don’t know any show that can top one of Juliana’s meltdowns.
One day I realized that TV was getting in my way. So, I stopped turning it on. Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy TV just like anyone else. I have episodes that I watch online and I usually squeeze them in as I am taking on something else. When I am cooking, I love to watch the show “Lincoln Heights.”
It was a great show about a husband and wife doing their best to make good choices as they raised their kids. Not enough viewers wanted to see this kind of drama so the show was canceled in 2010 after four seasons. Since I cook a lot, I’ve probably seen the whole series about 20 times now through my Netflix.
In the other zone
So why do I watch it over and over again? Because I know the characters and the plots and don’t have to think. They are there giving me a quiet comfort while I do things for my family.
Recently, I noticed that my husband was watching another episode of a show he had seen countless times. When I asked him about it, he said it was because he didn’t have to think about it as he was working on something else. Apparently, being mindless is contagious in our house and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
It’s an unusual calm; one that I notice is surfacing in other areas. I love to read, and would often get new books from the library or Amazon. Now, I am re-reading some of my favorites because I know the characters and plot. I don’t have to think too hard. What’s the point of all this? I’m merely trying to say that there is comfort in the simple things that we already know.
There are lots of little things that we like that bring a small sense of peace or entertainment, but don’t distract from the big things that need attention. When life is kicking butt, turning to an old comfort can be so helpful. What mindless thing is giving you that sense of comfort as you make it through another busy day?
