Life Without a Tv

Life without a Television

When my family's only television set went to the repair shop the other day, my parents, my sister, and I thought we would have a terrible week. How could we get through the long evenings in such a quiet house? What would it be like without all the shows to keep us company? We soon realized, though, that living without a television for a while was a stroke of good fortune. It became easy for each of us to enjoy some activities alone, to complete some postponed chores, and to spend rewarding time with each other and friends.

First of all, with no television to complete for our time, we found plenty of hours for personal interests. We all read more that week than we had read during the six months before. I personally started a habit of reading the newspapers every day, not just reading some sports articles, but actually enjoying editorials and opinion articles.
We each also enjoyed some hobbies we had ignored for ages. My father's old enthusiasm for carpentry returned , and my mother spent some time practicing some old cooking recepies.
In addition, my sister and I both stopped procrastinating with our homework. We both planned a homework schedule. Instead of watching television for the whole afternoon, as we used to do, my sister and I spent two hours every day doing homework in advance.

Second, we did chores that had been hanging over our heads for too long. There were many jobs around the house that had needed attention for some time. My father somehow managed to replace seven light bulbs from and old lamp that we have in the dinning room. I cleaned the garage and fixed my room's door which had been broken for more than two years!
We also had a chance to do some long-postponed shopping. I bought two pairs of jeans that I didn't have time to buy before. Before my television broke , going shopping was something that I never got to enjoy, but somehow this new situation has made me realize how much fun it is to share time shopping with my parents!
And each of us did some letter writing or other paperwork that was long overdue. I finally got to write several emails to my friends living in different parts of the world and my father had some office work done.

Finally, and probably most important, we spent time with each other. Instead of just being in the same room together while we stared at a screen, we actually talked for many pleasant hours. My mother and I never had deep conversations before, and in the course of that week , we got to know each other more than we did for the last 20 years. The communication between me and my sisters was much better now than it had ever been before. I think this was partially due to the time we spent together just talking about our lives and about different aspects of life.
Moreover, for the first time in years my family played some games together. My father was able to beat us playing monopoly as he used to do when I was only 12 years old. I have always loved playing Scrabble, and finally I got to play with my mother and sisters for hours.
And because we didn't have to worry about missing this or that show, we had some family friends over on a couple of evenings and spent an enjoyable time with them. After dinner we would have some drinks and just enjoy the good summer weather in the terrace while listening to music.
Once our television set returned, we were not prepared to put it in the attic. But we had a sense of how it can take over our lives if we are not careful. We are now more selective. We turn on the set for our favorite shows, certain sports events, and the news, but we don't leave it running all night. As a result, we find we can enjoy television and still have time left over for some activities and interests.