What to do without cable?

I think this is the first time since they invented cable, that I have chosen not to have it. Originally, I called about just deleting the home home since I never answered it when it rang (it was never for me because I didn't give out the number to anyone). But it was only going to change my bill by $4.05. So I inquired about cutting cable, because watching one show turned into watching another and another and I wasn't getting any else done. The computer is in my bedroom with no TV (access was available but I gave the TV to one of my kids) and the main TV was in the living room. So I couldn't mulit-task. And I knew that I really needed to be with the computer - to pay bills, to catch up with friends on FB, to watch training videos for my pt business, to write blogs, and write chapters for the book that sits in a file.

So here I am, cable-less. And of course, the timing is never right. Two of my favorite series will be showing a new season soon - When Calls the Heart and Downton Abbey. And then there's the occasional football game and all the Christmas movies on Hallmark. By the time I decide to add it back, some of those shows will be having reruns. Of course I'm aware of other ways to view shows, such as on Netflix and online. But I'm no worse for wear for not watching them at all.

Actually, I'm excited to have one less distraction in the house. I need to focus on more important tasks at hand. I have several books on my kindle just waiting for me to swipe a page or two. And they there are the books on my shelves that are only collecting dust bunnies. This is a good opportunity to keep reading and learning. It's never wrong to improve on yourself, and we're never too old to learn.

Mostly, I need to focus on writing. I joined the NaNoWriMo which is National Novel (not November) Writing Month and I have yet to start, except about 300 words I wrote earlier. But then there was a distraction and I walked away. I need to set a timer and write until it rings. There are so many words in my head just waiting to appear on paper or on the desktop. I need to remember how to do the SOC writing, that is, Streams of Consciousness. That's when you write and write and write whatever you are thinking and you don't stop to correct the spelling or the punctuation. Because it doesn't matter. What matters is that the words are written down - your thoughts are exposed, yes. That could be a good thing. You are transformed - you are a new person. Just like writing in the book program that produced the book, Emerge. I wrote page after page - not only because it was an assignment, but because it felt so natural to do. I need to get back to that kind of writing. Just let it go - no, I'm not going to start singing!

A picture is worth a thousand words - imagine how many pictures you get out of a story? Maybe not a thousand, but surely more than one if it's written with passion and clarity. I did set a goal to write a book this winter, so without cable, I have one less excuse to keep me from pursuing it. It's time to set some goals and then go after them. Always looking forward to the next adventure. Until then...