Socially Awkward

Confession time: I do not have TV. (gasp!) If you walk into our house, you will see a small, modest entertainment center that has an old tube television set (ask me about it sometime- we got it for $25 and it has a unique story), our Wii, and a DVD player. We watch movies, sometimes. My husband plays video games occasionally- and I'm proud to say that sometimes I can even do a level on the new Super Mario Bros better than he can, the man with a 1 UP tattoo. Also, let me just say that not watching network or cable TV has lead to some socially awkward moments. I've noticed, in the years that I have not had television channels, that people really like to talk about commercials. Not just around superbowl time, either. Commercials come up in conversation far more that you would think. I happen to notice because the commercials I can remember are from circa 2006 and earlier. So when someone starts a sentence off with, "Have you seen that [insert company here] commercial?" I start getting panic-y. What should I do? Launch into a long list of all the reasons that I do not watch television? That's no fun. So I just say no, that I have not seen it. Then there is usually more social awkwardness, as the other person tries to figure out if they should proceed with explaining the commercial to me or just drop it.

I am making this confession today to point out that not everything we do in life is comfortable. And the decisions that we make sometimes lead to unintended consequences, like me feeling socially out of touch with my peers and colleagues whenever commercials come up in conversation. There are many reasons that I do not have network or cable television, not the least of which is money. Cable costs a lot each month. And, I found that watching TV and the commercials that go with it lead to me spending a lot of money on perceived "needs". I would see commercials for the new clothes at such-and-such store, and I would end up buying new clothes, even though my closet is full and so is my dresser. So, I tried reigning in my spending. It didn't work- I attribute it to the fact I was still seeing commercials for all this great stuff that I decided I "needed".  The newest iPod just came out. ABC Warehouse is having great deals on stereo equipment. A SUPER SALE AT MACY'S! Save BIG money at Menard's! And so on and so forth.
Getting rid of the television was just a strategy, at first, to learning to live with less stuff and spend less money. Now I love it. I have time to garden, spend time with my family, read good books, and I get things done around the house. If I'm bored, I don't turn on the TV- I clean the kitchen. I know, you probably just rolled your eyes at that.
So what does this all have to do with Creation Care? I hope this story illustrates that I discovered something about myself and my spending habits, and I was able to be more fiscally conservative with my money as a result of implementing one simple strategy. And that our decisions and actions do have consequences- sometimes intentional, sometimes unintentional- and father reaching than one can imagine. I never would have imagined that I would find myself in such socially awkward situations down the road as a result of not watching TV; but I did set out to save money and not buy so much stuff.