In 1998 the Television in my home was turned off.  It stayed off, first at my daughter's urging and then by choice, for 12 years.  

From time to time during those years, Dad would offer me a nice flat-screen television that he & his wife, Pegg had no place for in their new and smaller house.  It's not that Dad didn't respect my choice.  We both needed the offer and the refusal.  These were years of financial instability.  I needed to reconsider, to refresh my decision and Dad needed assurance that my home was  tv-free by choice rather than necessity.

I wasn't entirely without visual entertainment.   I used my computer to stream movies or play DVDs.  A perfectly fine set-up when I watched alone which was most of the time but quite unsuitable for sharing. Except for Nicole and Rob I was reluctent to ask anyone to huddle around the computer with me.  I longed to widen this circle of movie-watching companions.
 
A year ago, I accepted Dad's offer.  I justified bringing television back into my home as a necessary fixture to expanding my range social activity.  I saw myself hosting movie nights, with wine selected to pair perfectly with an inspired assortment of lovingly made vegan snacks.

I decided cable should be installed.   Although I rarely felt out of the loop on news other than entertainment "news"(Hello, my name is Krista and I'm an NPR addict), I reasoned that what might be gained by tuning into televised local and national news programs would justify the cost.

Well, it didn't turn out that way at all!  I wasted a lot of my time (a.k.a. my life) watching programming I didn't enjoy or, searching for something better to watch. Unread magazines piled up.  Library books were due before they were read. I didn't write. The local and national news programs left me feeling anxious and angry. Worst, my mental environment was polluted by frequent exposure to large quantities of advertising.  I didn't like being a regular televsion watcher.  I wanted to stop.

Recently the cable company installed new cable (fiber optics?) to improve service.  The improvement came with some changes to the network package. I lost a handful of stations from my basic package.  The very well-spoken and pleasant service representative explained I could have them all back for an additional $10.00 per month (plus tax and a one time "transaction fee").

A few days later I discontinued the cable tv service.  "No" I told them. " I'm not going to another provider. No, I don't want to try a different network package.  Yes, I understand that my now 'unbundled' internet service will no longer be discounted. I just don't want the cable tv service." 

I'm back to living without regular viewing of cable tv programming  - only better than before.  The television alone -  without the cable programing - adds a bit of comfort and pleasure to my days. Thanks Dad!