Today, I turned off our TV. As in, cancelled our cable. We still have internet – yes, I *am* Captain Obvious.
I have considered cancelling our cable service for several months now, but have held off because a) I thought we were under a contract until June or July thanks to a conversation with an, apparently, less than honest Comcast employee a few months ago and b) I had to persuade Hubby. Convincing him was a little easier when I laid out exactly how often we watch TV and the cost for the various online options as far as sports and movies in comparison to how much we pay for cable on a monthly basis.
All I did was turn off the TV, but it feels like so much more. As I sit here, reflecting on the day, I am struck by the overwhelming quiet and calm feeling that has enveloped our home.
I know: deep. Bear with me if you can.
Vinyassa Yoga was a huge part of my life three years ago. I spent approximately fifteen to twenty hours a week learning about and practicing power yoga. If you have ever practiced yoga, you know that it is about so much more than just fitness. It is about being present and connecting with the energy around you and the spirit within. For me, as a christian, it was also dedicated time, everyday, that I spent connecting with God – “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;” (Psalm 37:7 NIV).
My life has changed significantly since then, but I have held on to that experience. I have continued to live my life as a yogi, to the best of my ability, through pregnancy, childbirth, and my first year postpartum. I have tried to love my body, consume wholesome and organic foods, find quiet time for prayer and reflection, and find contentment (santosha) in every situation (one of my biggest struggles).
Despite these efforts, I felt our life had gotten too loud and chaotic. I see the cancellation of our cable as a step in the right direction. Our home is now a quiet santuary, where we can choose to watch a movie or stream a baseball game, but everything we watch, from this point forward, will be done with mindfulness and intention. THAT makes me happy. After all, it is the little things that make the biggest difference sometimes, right?
I LOVE this post! I am a firm believer that TV creates lots of idle noise and it generally a big time waster.
We still have cable because we haven’t taken the time to shut it off yet, but it’s rarely on which makes me happy 🙂
I have been really working on being content lately so I’d love to pick your brain about yoga! We even bought a beginners yoga DVD 😛
Great post! Makes me want to call Comcast right now!
Thanks Rebecca! You made my day! 🙂 I’m *so* happy you found it inspiring. I totally agree that it creates idle noise.
I would love to answer any questions and/or provide any info about yoga! I took a teacher training course and really feel like I learned so much about myself and what’s important in life. I mean, I feel like it’s all stuff I should have known already, but I guess hadn’t spent enough time reflecting on. I also learned I had been doing a lot of the poses incorrectly, which was interesting.
Hey Erika, great post! Ellie and I have been talking about canceling cable for months as well. What online alternatives did you explore? We’ve looked into streaming Netflix and/or Hulu Plus through a game console like an Xbox 360 or a Wii. Did you look at the same things? Find any smart alternatives? I know a lot of stations offer their own episodes online for free (ABC for example). What was the alternative to live sports which convinced Andy?
So, I could probably write a whole other post to answer your questions 🙂 but, I’ll give it a shot on the fly. J/k
Actually, thank you for asking those questions! I really should have mentioned most of that when I wrote this last night; I’m sorry for not being more thorough.
My parents gave us Xbox 360 with Kinect for Christmas. Xbox live gold membership (about $50/yr I think, but don’t know because we didn’t buy that yet), now comes with ESPN3 and HULU Plus. We also started an unlimited streaming video account with Netflix for $9.99/month. So now, instead of paying around $200/month for the xfinity triple play, we will pay around $95/month (double play phone & Internet @ about $80 + online subscriptions @ about $15). Plus, if there’s ever a game that’s not offered on espn3, there are always sports bars! 🙂
I should probably also mention that ESPN3 requires you to subscribe to a participating internet provider and that list can be found on the website for ESPN3. I was bummed when we lived out west and had Qwest a year ago because they do not participate and I wasn’t able to watch a Virginia Tech game because if it 🙁
Congratulations! I am very happy for you guys 🙂 Enjoy the peace and quiet!
Hehe, thanks 🙂 Your Facebook comment a few months ago about the junk on TV along with Diana turning off their cable definitely made me think!
That was a good decision on your family’s part. TV is such a cesspool sometimes. If my hubby wasn’t such a TV head, I probably would never have it on. We do a lot less TV watching these days and a lot more Netflix or DVRing of programs we want to watch.
Thanks Sue!
My husband is a TV head too, which was part of the problem. We agreed to leave it off when Little Man was awake (with some exceptions), but he would always turn the TV on out of habit when Little Man was sleeping. I found that when he was traveling for business I almost never turned the TV on.
At the same time, we were compromising on what to watch most of the time and often he would end up looking game scores up online if a game he wanted to watch was on at the same time as a show we both liked anyway. Seemed like the best option. Plus, there’s always over the air TV for local news and sports if he really must watch TV 🙂
I declared it a TV/computer free summer. And while the first 3 days made want to pull my hair out, drink many bottles of wine and run screaming into the night, it’s great now. The kids are playing with their toys now instead of staring at that idiot box. I’m hearing less and less talk about what Spongebob did etc. They still fight w/ eachother, but the fighting over the computer, where to sit to see it and what shows to watch has ended. And I’m getting more done b/c I don’t get sucked into the vortex either!
hehe 🙂 definitely! It’s amazing how much of a distraction TV is. It’s hard not to get sucked in when it’s on! I’m happy to hear it gets easier 🙂 The first night was nice and peaceful but then yesterday it started to sink in more and I missed it when I started thinking about the handful of things we won’t be able to watch.