Tendrils: Growing stronger day by day

My husband and I recently started a media fast. No radio or MP3… No TV or movies… No internet surfing… No newspaper or magazines… You get the picture.

Since music is one of my favorite means of mood-alteration, I knew this part would be challenging. At first, my body seemed to revolt against the quiet in my car. Reflexively, time after time, my hand would rise to turn on some tunes. Even for an introvert like me, it was strange how foreign quietness had become.

TV, newspaper, and web media have not been hard to avoid. I’m not a big fan of TV. We don’t even have cable. And I regularly abstain from the (bad) news in order to promote my mental health.

Today I got a “freebie” at church – worship music – awesome! Then we ran into Starbucks. When we got back into the car, the silence was almost deafening. When did noise and clatter become the norm?

We also went to Costco, and my eyes were drawn to the mesmerizing flicker of the TV screens as we walked in. (Product placement – yes.) At the grocery store, as I awaited check out, I was bombarded by magazines hyping the trials and tribulations of the rich and famous. When did it become normal to be accosted by so much (needless) information?

As I write this, our cat Rutledge is sleeping on my lap; it’s a priceless moment. I hear the gentle breeze of the heat blowing through the house. And I hear my husband thoughtfully laying down pieces to the puzzle we cracked open a few days into the fast.

While giving up Christmas tunes has been a sacrifice, I wouldn’t trade this experience of a media fast for a dozen renditions of O Holy Night. The gift of quiet has been returned to us, and this silent night has caused me to wonder what our new normal will be.