my tv fast.

Starting Friday, February 5, I'm fasting from TV for a week.

I imagine that for many people, that wouldn't be that difficult, or, at the very least seem somewhat pointless. But I've been thinking about this for a while, and I know that sometimes, in order to actually achieve balance in your life, its necessary to go to the other extreme. (I learned that from a very smart friend of mine).

I'm convicted to do this for several reasons:

• I'm fairly certain that if I sat down and added it up, I would feel pretty chastised about the number of hours I spend watching TV. I'm often doing other things at the same time, but still, you're rarely as productive when you're multitasking as when you're not.
• I'm working my way through several cleaning/organizing projects, with a goal to have all of them completed before my parents arrive for a visit in a little over a week. I set the goal partly because I just work better with an end result and timeline in mind, and partly because they need a place to sleep that isn't covered with stuff.
• I'm not a morning person - given my choice, I usually prefer to stay in bed until well after the sun has come up. But I also like the way my day progresses (and my general attitude) when I read my Bible in the morning, work out before work, and get dressed without feeling rushed. That means getting up earlier, which means going to bed earlier - all of which is easier without the distraction of the TV.
• I've become more aware recently that I often turn on the TV as background noise, which is essentially filling a void. I imagine that over the next week, I'll turn on music instead, but I see a difference between the two - listening to music can serve as a backdrop to thinking and planning and dreaming, while the story on the TV, even as background noise, usually distracts me from those things. I'm wondering how much of life I'm missing in my rush to fill the silence with something that distracts me.
• I only have 24 hours in a day, less when you discount the ones already committed to sleeping, working, and transitioning between those two. I want to make those that remain count, too, rather than just seeking to be constantly entertained.

So that's the plan - no TV starting Friday (tomorrow), through Thursday, with one possible exception - there's talk of watching a movie at a friend's house Saturday night, while we dye my hair.

Who knows? This might even be a precursor to crossing goal #13 off my list. Here's to a productive week - wish me luck!