THE TV CHALLENGE – SURRENDER TV FOR 30 DAYS!

So, as most of you know, as a “student” of the teachings of Eckhart Tolle and Pema Chodron, I am on a personal quest to build my level of presence in my life.  I have closed a lot of the obvious “run” spots which for me included excess food, alcohol, and caffeine (which keeps me unconscious by keeping me “doing” instead of listening to my body and resting).  This month I am getting the “nudge” to let go of my TV watching for 30 days. 

Now, let me just say that there is nothing wrong with watching a little TV for enjoyment.  I really am not even a big TV watcher.  I tape a few shows I like and watch about an hour or so in the evening after my daughter goes to bed.  Now that baseball season is in full swing, I do tape and watch the Phillies pretty faithfully. 

I actually stopped watching all news programs about 5 years ago.  The only news show I watch is Daily News Live the local sports news at 5Pm on ComcastSportsnet.  Believe it or not, this is my favorite show on TV and for me will be the most difficult to let go.  It gives me the news of the day in sports and has great commentators.  I am sure we all have our personal favorite shows that are hard to “give up” – Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, anything on HBO!  

So why let go of TV watching for a period of time?  As a fellow pioneer on this quest for more consciousness in my life,  I want to see what come up for me when I close the TV as an escape from myself and my reality.   I have watched enough of those Oprah shows on families giving up all of the “escapes” ie electronics, dinners in front of the TV, etc. and have witnessed the bonding and levels of intimacy that open up for them.  

One of the inspirations for me doing this is to increase the level of intimacy in my life with myself, my daughter and the world.  Recently, I noticed that my daughter was downstairs watching her shows and I was upstairs watching mine.  It reminded me of times in my marriage (I am now divorced), where my husband and I would do that same thing.  I often joked that he and I would land on the exact opposite channels – our tastes in TV were that different.  I want to open up intimacy with  my daughter and spend more time with her.  I am going to shut off the TV and see what happens. 

In Julia Cameron’s best selling book The Artist’s Way, she has you go on a 7 day reading detox.  “It is a paradox that by emptying our lives of distractions we are actually filling the well.  Without distraction, we are once again thrust into the sensory world…Reading deprivation casts us into our inner silence.  We often cannot hear our own inner voice, the voice of our artist’s inspiration, above the static.”  This is what I am looking for – a deeper connection to my inner creativity, life, artist. 

I will also tell you that the “nudge” I am getting next will be far bigger and harder – give up my computer for 30 days? Can this even be done? I may soon find out.  So, this motivates me to “enjoy” this 30 days.  I am certainly watch less TV than I use the computer so this month should be a breeze.

Would you like to join me on this 30 day TV detox?  Do you think this “presence” thing has just gone too far and I am crazy? Feel free to comment below and share your thoughts!  I welcome all opinions!