Weekend Wonder

Now that I think I have totally weaned myself off TV, it seems like I don't really want to watch the six hours I've given myself permission to watch. I thought Mike and I would save our allotment up for the weekend, since we typically watch movies or recorded shows once we have time off. Instead, Mike and I are spending more time actually talking to one another about all kinds of subjects.

Friday night, I made a pizza and we talked for 2 hours about Buddhism, impulsivity, destructive relationships and more. Then we decided to play with our dog, Baxter, who was very tired of us sitting at the table. Mike and I got on the floor and played with him for at least 45 minutes. Baxter was very excited to have us on his level. He and Mike are a hoot to watch play. Baxter likes to play hide and seek and Mike obliges. I laughed so hard my side hurt. We had a great evening together. No TV.

Sunday then, we had about five hours of TV to watch if desired. We decided to just watch stuff we could half pay attention to while doing other things. I needed to catch up on some work and Mike wanted to play with his iPad. What happened next surprised me. The more I just mindlessly watched TV, the more I seemed to desire watching more. I started thinking about what shows I was missing, what news I hadn't seen yet, what popular culture I'd cut myself out of knowing about and how I was going to stay up on all of it. And so it went until I realized I was becoming greedy for more saturation, more information and more sensory overload.

The same thing happened when we had to return some gifts and had our first meal out since starting this project. Being at the restaurant and going to several stores, gave me a sensory experience that could not initially be satisfied. My senses desired more, "I need a  new shirt. I need a new set of glasses. I want more chips and salsa." I hadn't felt that desire until being exposed to all the stuff. In fact, it has been a nice surprise that I haven't felt deprived. As an only child raised by a single parent, I have been trained to eat out and get what I want. I truly thought giving up these things would be much harder.

Once I noticed my mind desiring more, I quickly checked it and redirected it to enjoy the experience of being with my husband and mom instead of wanting more. I guess this doesn't help our capitalistic society but it does help me stay focused on what is most important and my goal of careful consumption.