Over the last 15 years, my relationship with the 4 main British soap operas has waxed and waned - at one point I was watching all four regularly, at other points I've been following 2 or 3, and sometimes I haven't been watching any at all. The only thing I can say about soaps is this: I don't miss them when I get out of the habit of watching them. My life doesn't feel any less fulfilled by not following the antics of the Mitchells, Sugdens, Baldwins, Slaters, Kings and Battersbys.
Until recently I hadn't watched EastEnders, Emmerdale or Hollyoaks for a few years but I did watch Coronation Street regularly - I would record the catch-up edition on a Saturday morning and watch it at some point over the weekend. A few weeks ago I realised that I was spending 2 hours of my precious weekend watching something that I could quite easily live without. Now obviously if I take this train of thought to its natural conclusion, I could live without all TV, but one step at a time :). So I decided to stop watching Corrie.
And I don't miss it.
Plus I have an extra two hours to spend on something else! This weekend I spent it on sleeping, and it was most welcome... My next challenge is to wean myself off the internet. I think the internet is great, but I've got to the point where I find myself sitting with my computer on my lap, reading the same pages over and over. I lived without t'internet for the first 20-odd years of my life, so surely it shouldn't be too hard to cut back a bit???
2 comments:
Well done on kicking a habit just as addictive as drugs!
I suppose we should do the same.
We don't watch the daily soaps as such, as you know, but you know about the weekly ones we watch.
We just sit there picking holes and poking fun at them mostly, saying things like 'Nobody behaves like that!' 'What a stupid thing to do/say!' 'Why didn't he.....?'
'This is descending into farce!'
It does make you appreciate a really good programme though, on the rare occasions that we get one. Did you watch George Gently?
Once you get out the habit of watching tv regularly, you seriously don't miss it. I hardly watch at all anymore and am reading so much more than I ever was :)
I'm with you on the internet stuff - I'm thinking of starting to allot myself an hour to surf every day and once that time is up no more going online. Being at home w/ Ethan makes it too easy to waste time in cyberspace!
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