When I Turned Off the TV and Started to Live

About two years ago, I got rid of cable television and went back to the rabbit ears.

At that time, I was spending four to five hours a day consuming lots of television from slanted cable news programs to sports to reality programs. I stayed up late to catch programs. I woke up at all hours of the night to turn on the TV, and I spent sunny days inside catching up on shows I DVR'ed.

When I pulled the plug on all those viewing options and went down to my basic over-the-air channels, my viewing time dropped by 80 percent. I am now watching on average 45 to 90 minutes of television per day and some days none at all. When I do watch, I have been surprised by the quality of content of Public Television and some quality network shows.

I also discovered that there were many more things going on. I realized it's easier to drop a few pounds when you get up and move around. It's easier to think about things and let other issues go when you don't have talking heads bombarding you.

I noticed that books are cool again, and I catch up with friends more often. I was nervous how this would affect my young son who does watch more television with my ex, but he had no issues. We spent time going to the Tosa Library, reading books, inventing games to play on cold winter nights indoors and playing in the back yard.

All in all, I am not condemning television and recommending that anyone throw their TVs out. I am simply saying, when you turn off that magic box for a while you can discover your own "Reality Show" – life itself, is pretty cool, too. Hoping that this summer we all can enjoy some time away from the tube to reconnect with our worlds.