To My Old Friend, So Long and Fare Thee Well...

I have an old friend, one whom many of you may know. We eagerly welcomed him into our home with open arms. We gave him a place to stay. We made him the focal point of our home. We listened to his advice, often staying up late into the night to hear him out. He entertained us, filled gaps in conversation, influenced our opinions, and gave our minds rest from thought. Well, old friend, your welcome has long-since worn out. Your voice became the loudest at the table, and dominated conversation. We allowed you to bring suggestions and words not suitable to little ears into our homes, right before our watchful eyes. We corrected you not. We not only tolerated, but embraced your extreme liberal opinions, silencing others to hear clearly. We protested not. And so it is, my old companion, that it is time to say goodbye. So long, JVC, and farewell. It is not your fault, you have much good to offer, but in moderation, and in another room maybe. I regret to say that you will not be missed at your place in the center of our home. We must retire you to a better place (on craigslist.com :). Your place has been filled with meaningful relationships, musical talents to be developed, culture, and reminders of the things that matter the most in our lives. I hope you understand, this is for the best for us all.
NOTE: No, we have not completely gotten rid of the TV (yes, this is what the post is about). We still have our bigscreen in the basement, but it is in it's own room, and not near where we eat dinner, cook, or spend the majority of our time. The other day Matt and I were reminiscing about our first 9 months here in our current home. We spent almost every day outside, even late into the evenings. We talked, played games, and spent quality time as a family. Then we remembered why. For the first 9 months that we lived here, our street was not set up for cable. We had NO TV. No antenna reception. No cable. Not even basic channels. Nada. It was GREAT! We complained, but we vowed that when we did get cable we would still watch it sparingly, and spend most of our time outside. No TV during dinner. Our kids would NOT watch PBS all morning. All good intentions, but alas they only lasted so long. And so it is that we realized one day that we had allowed the TV slowly over time to take over our lives. Finally it occured to us that we COULD just remove this disraction from the center of our existence. That is how we came to the conclusion that it was time for the good old TV to move on. And I will say, it has not been missed (although sadly, McKinley cried when we told her we were moving it out. That was a good indication that we were making a wise choice. She hasn't said anything about it since :).

Before: This was a photo taken by our realtor when we were considering selling our house last year - notice that the TV is ON during our house-showing photo, SAD!

After: Ahhh, much better!