How far would you go to clear the clutter?
An old friend has decided her home/space is too crowded. But can you imagine--she's going to live without a TV and VCR? I'm sure I could adapt eventually, but it seems that television/movies have been pretty good friends for a couple of years(especially during a recent recuperation--though I'm reading a LOT, too).
It's a hard habit to break because it's so easy to just settle down and let yourself be entertained. Watched Amadeus last night--I remember when I first saw it years ago I was so turned off by the way the guy played Mozart's character (sleazy and laughing like an idiot) that I refused to watch it. Turns out it was pretty good once I got past that part. And the MUSIC! I like movies with good music in them. I love the movie Ray, and Walk the Line, and the one about the life of Jerry Lee Lewis.
How far would you go to clear out your life? What would you be willing to give up? How hard do you think it would be for you to adapt to life without TV or movies? Imagine if we had a massive electrical failure (like we did several years ago when the grid went out for a couple of days) and we'd have not only no TV but also no computers! I think I'm going to get on the Internet right now and buy one of those hand-crank-powered radios. Hey, maybe I'll even buy a manual typewriter so I can keep writing. But then...I'd just be putting more clutter in my space.
On second thought, my hand-written journals have always been a comfort when I've had time. Guess without computers, I'd have a lot of time since these days, as a freelance writer, I'm in front of one virtually 10 to 12 hours a day. I remember vaguely there's a non-computerized way for writers to make a living, but it can't be as easy as writing from my home office.
Does your clutter ever get you down?
Labels: clutter, freelance writer, make a living, movies, Ray, television, Walk the Line
2 Comments:
Well, I hardly ever watch TV (maybe one hour a month), and I only get to a few movies a year. But I certainly would be hard-pressed to give up my computer. But then, that's because I work at home -- so giving up my computer would mean moving back into an office somewhere. Not what I'm hoping for. I won't say my life is by any means uncluttered, but it's packed with things that mean something to me, from friends and family to volunteering and supporting organizations that matter to me. TV is not a bad thing, especially when, as you experienced, one is recuperating. But it does make a lot of time just "vanish."
Thanks for sharing, Cynthia. My ex-husband and I didn't have a television for several years when we were first married. We were pretty proud of ourselves, but then our first daughter was born. Somehow it didn't seem right not to have her be able to see Sesame Street (which I happened to enjoy a lot myself back then). So got a black-and-white set and had it for years.
It took me probably 12 years after that to agree to buy a VCR for my daughters. But that was the first time I'd ever seen a movie more than once, and I discovered what incredible works of art good films are, how much you can miss the first time, and how you can find new nuances each time you watch.
Yeah, I think I'd probably fill my evenings with more reading if I got rid of the television. But it wouldn't clear my house of any clutter--I'd just have more books lying around than I already do!
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