I need an intervention. I’ve gone without watching practically any television for the last five years. I took great pride in my “sobriety” from the tube. Then Mr. FixIt turned on his TV. I watched a game or two. Then there was the occasional MASH episode or Big Bang reruns. I wrote the other week how I found The Office on my iPad, and now I’m like a junkie…I can’t stop. I’ve been binge watching a show that is so cringe worthy it’s like watching a train wreck…you can’t look away.

The Office started it’s nine season run in March of 2005. I didn’t have satellite TV till sometime the following winter after Mr. Virgo and I started dating. I had been on a long dry spell from TV between 2000 and 2005. I didn’t really WANT TV, but Mr. Virgo was a sports fan and it was football season. At first, it was fine. We enjoyed watching a few shows. We looked forward to them every week. And, of course…there was always the winter spent watching football. After a while, the television became a problem. Mr. Virgo insisted on eating in front of the TV…every night. I hated that. And I told him so. I asked for one night a week with no television. Maybe we could play cards…or a board game…or go for a walk. My sweetheart informed me that television was his martini. And, I’ve got to tell you…the man didn’t drink, he didn’t do drugs, he came home every night to me. If television relaxed him, then we would watch television.

This wouldn’t have been a problem except for one thing. Mr. Virgo wanted me to sit beside him and watch TV with him. He didn’t really want me to play on the computer or read a book beside him. He wanted me to watch the shows with him so that we could discuss them during the commercial break. It’s my own fault. I didn’t set boundaries and tell him I would watch one show then I was going to do something else. I indulged him because I loved him and wanted him to be happy. But…OMGosh! I came to HATE the television.

Now it’s been nearly five years since Mr. Virgo died. It’s winter and Mr. FixIt had hand surgery so we are limited by what we can do around the house. There is a flooding issue in the basement and we think we have fixed it, but until we get a torrential rain that challenges the repair, we have to hang around here to monitor the basement. I’ve been reading and writing and drawing. And…I’ve been watching some TV. Never the news. Never anything dark and scary. A little sports, a little MASH, a little Big Bang…even some westerns on occasion. Most of the time, when the TV is on, I’m sitting on the couch with my headphones on, listening to relaxing music or nature sounds, and writing or reading. That is the boundary I’ve set with Mr. FixIt. He’s a grown man…if he wants to watch TV, he can watch TV. AND…I am a grown woman. If I want to sit near him for the company, I don’t HAVE to watch or listen to TV. It’s a win-win.

Then…I started watching The Office. Not watching….binge watching. Each episode without commercials is twenty-two minutes long. I watch episode after episode. Season after season. I’m almost done with Season Three. It brings back memories. Some good…some not so much. The show ended two months after Mr. Virgo died. I remember I didn’t see the last episodes for a long, long time after he died because I disconnected the satellite. It’s an interesting walk down memory lane. I’ve laughed….I’ve cried…I’ve cringed at Michael Scott. The character is so NOT self aware. But, mostly I’ve laughed. Laughter is good medicine. But I have to say, I can feel the difference in me from watching TV. There are a lot of shows being revived and I’ve heard The Office may be one of them in 2018.

Spring is coming. Mr. FixIt’s hand is healing. Projects will get started. Camping, gardening, mowing, traveling, home projects…all these things will take care of the TV binging. But for now…I’ll just indulge myself and laugh. ❤️

““The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:22-23‬ ‭NIV