The extra evening light of spring means more time outside, either in the garden or the shop. This is great because I am not a TV person, and an early evening inside means contending with the TV. I don’t hate TV; it’s just that I left my TV habit behind many years ago. Being on the road, I was seldom around to catch the shows more settled people watched. Working in coffeehouses and bars meant performing, not watching TV. And after that, I was, believe it or not, too poor in the seventies to own my own TV. I’ve missed generations of television tropes, can’t recognize most TV stars, and don’t miss it. No habit.
Television did appear in my home in the 1980s for my wife and kids. Ask me what I watched those years, and I’d have to say lots of Sesame Street and Fred Rodgers.
A few friends started discussing streaming services the other day. Which do you have? I had to admit that I thought we had Netflix but no others. ” But how do you watch———-?” My “huh?” told them all they needed to know about my television habits—they don’t exist, and I am a total washout when it comes to contemporary culture. If stuck inside during a weekend, I am most likely working on the computer or reading a book.
On occasion, I’ll watch a documentary, or if my wife is watching old stuff on Netflix, I might watch an episode of NCIS with her. But in general, I am not interested in TV. This time of year, I am too busy clearing the wind-blown branches from the garden and finishing winter-interrupted projects in the shop.
One advantage of working outside rather than sitting inside is that I’ve slenderized—four pounds off the waist. Virtue is its own reward!
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