Dare I say it? I think my nights are getting longer.
The absence of television seems to have slowed down the clock here at the Jitterbug household on weekday evenings. I noticed this for the first time several days ago. "It must be about 10:00," I thought, looking up at the clock. Nope, just 8:30. "It must be a fluke. Just a coincidence," I told myself. Nope, I felt that extra jag of time the next night - and again the next. It's like the morning that Daylight Savings Time ends, when you're smiling like the Cheshire Cat just to luxuriate in bed for an extra hour. It's an absolutely unexpected phenomenon, but I'm loving it!
My evenings are beginning to feel positively leisurely... and that's something this working woman never thought she'd hear herself say about a weekday evening. It used to be that I'd get home from work, heat something up for supper - snap my fingers - and it'd be bedtime. These days, I find myself actually reading, thinking about taking hot baths, and singing the greatest hits of 1944 as I give the kitchen a little extra magic.
It's like I found a way to stop time! We've been talking about it for years, but I've actually found a way to add hours to the day!!! (Now the trick is going to be not to fritter away that extra time with equally fruitless pursuits.)
Some of the downsides to being without television:
Where to eat dinner? I don't let myself eat my vintage dinner on Sunday evenings in front of the TV, but that never stopped me any other night of the week. Now I find myself all awkward when I'm ready to eat. Like somebody all dressed up with no place to go. (You'd think the clean kitchen table at my elbow would be a hint.)
I find myself in odd moments fantasizing about some of the great television I've watched over the years. Masterpieces like Homefront, life-altering documentaries like The Farmer's Wife, even the cheesy, comforting sitcoms that wrap problems up so neatly in a 30-minute bow. When I tune back in, I don't want to spend the time that's standing still for me now on anything that I don't wholeheartedly enjoy.
9 comments:
Leisurely is just how nights should be :-)
my problem is spending hours online and then before i know it- it's bedtime! need to control my blogging addiction or at least put a time limit to it on weekday evenings! :-)
I love reading about your new time zone you are living in. I think it's great that you are doing this.
I need to practice this myself. Heck I bought the books now I need to read them and put them to practice.
Hugs,
Joanne
I'm so glad to hear this. Enjoy your newly found time!
Amy, I agree! When they seem so long - in a good way - it's almost like having a mini-weekend.
MRL, the internet is definitely an issue for me, too. Thank goodness the housework drags me away! At some point, I'd like to put some limits on my online time.
Joanne, it is kind of a new time zone! I guess we should call it Jitterbug Time.
Thank you, Bonjour Madame. Or, should I say, "merci!"
Hi. I started limiting TV the other day, but I'm not doing as well as you. I'm home most days and putting on the TV was just a bad habit. I can't give up Y&R yet, so I started exercising the first half, and have lunch for the 2nd. I've kept the TV off in the evening, but when my hubby gets back in town, that won't work. I'll have to work on him!
But I am really enjoying less TV and haven't missed it at all. I'll have to work on less internet next!
Oh, I know, the internet can pick up right where TV left off if you're not careful! For me, it's been easier - I think - in going cold turkey for awhile and then reintroducing TV in limited quantities. (At least, that's the plan!) If I was really into one of the soaps right now, that would be super hard. Hey, if you're getting other things done at the same time that your favorite show is on --- that doesn't sound like such a bad idea...
We've been tv-free our entire marriage--11 years next month!!! You CAN do it! Life is so much better!
Wow! 11 years without TV! It's nice that you and your husband are both on precisely the same page when it comes to that...
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