Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure? Remember, you must use it, as it is only given once. Once wasted you cannot get it back.
~ Author Unknown ~
I've often thought of this quote as I've struggled with my perpetual time management issues through the years. How true is this statement? I remember as a child, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Christmas Day, thinking that time moved so s-l-o-w-l-y. How could I bear it? And now, as an adult, I marvel at how quickly time flies by. I was just thinking yesterday that I have no definining memories of Miss Moo from about age 2 through to age 4. For the life of me I can't pinpoint specific examples of her 'being three'! I'm sure toilet training was predominant, but I think I've blocked those years out!
My time could be much better spent in more productive pursuits, that's for sure. This year, I made a big step in that direction by cutting my TV watching down to about one third of what it was before. The further into the 'less TV' experiment I got, the more I realised that firstly, I would not drop down dead if I didn't happen to catch Desperate Housewives (LOL) and secondly, that the content of the shows I used to enjoy just didn't hold the same appeal. Desperate Housewives is just one example of many - I was a fan from the moment it first aired here last year (months after premiering in the States). It's only after I stopped watching a couple of months ago that I realised the entire show is based around qualities I'd be ashamed to emulate - adultery, murder, boyfriend-stealing, and a whole raft of others. Of course I already knew that it contained these things but they only started to bother me when I was able to distance myself from the habit of watching every week. I only watched because that's what I did on Monday nights.
I still have 'my' shows - and yes, I was caught up in the whole 'Heroes' thing, LOL - but by cutting two-thirds of my usual list, I gained some valuable hours. I can't say I always used them to the best of their advantage (LOL) but they were there.
I want to return to a simpler way of reading and watching films. I couldn't get enough of Anne of Green Gables (both books and films) or any number of the Jane Austen film or TV adaptations when I was young. Over the years, I still retained my love for them but I had to throw them in the mix with the more morally ambiguous fare. Now, as my daughter grows, I would be positively thrilled if she found a love for Anne, Eleanor, Marianne, Lizzie and Emma. Those should be her role models, not the Britneys, Nicoles or Parises.
But don't get me started on those...
Cheers,
Lizzie
4 comments:
Never liked desperate housewives, caught it once and could not beleive the values it gave out as a model to growing girls...its awful! totally agree with you. As as non tv watcher - well only one or two fave shows a week, I get bags of free no tv time cause of this - the less you watch the more you get to think how much time is wasted on tv watching!
Oh, I know what you mean!
My kids watch The Simpsons. Yes, I know, I'm working on it. I recently stopped them from watching the new season shows which are broadcast here at 7:30 one day a week (the older episodes are every weekday at 6pm and much tamer in general) because the new stuff is so much more risque. But honestly, if I could convince them to turn off altogether, I'd be a happy woman.
I bought embroidery supplies this past week and I'm going to use my Mum's Down Time (from 8:30 to 10:30 each night) to self-learn redwork. I'm going to have to learn the absolute basics from scratch, LOL. There's a couple of nights in a week that I'd sit down in front of the TV but I'll be occupying my hands as well.
Cheers,
Lizzie
Lizzie
You are the parent. You decide what they watch. You do not have to "persuade" them to turn it off. You just decide for them.
JMNSHO
The difference is that there is a big difference between the classic Simpsons episodes and the stuff that is shown at 7:30. Personally I don't have a problem with the content of the old eps, only with the frequency at which they're watched. Yes, I could turn the TV off but it hasn't progressed to that point yet.
Cheers,
Lizzie
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