Following on from yesterday's post about junking my old TV, Sky Box and DVD player with no immediate intention of replacing them, and some regret for the passing of part of my parents' life, I have woken this morning with an odd but uplifting sense of freedom.
I am now that much less encumbered with bulky tech gadgetry. Not that I am by any means anti-tech; but I prefer neat, sleek, unobtrusive things; they mustn't dominate the room I use them in, and take it over. The discarded items now in the garage had done that. My 'lounge' had become 'The TV Room', even if the TV itself wasn't regularly used.
Now the room has reverted to being A Spacious Living Area, with quite different usage possibilities. I haven't filled the spot on the carpet where the TV stand stood: I'm letting my eyes enjoy the emptiness there, which will be a novelty for days to come. But I have already moved some furniture around. And, more significantly, Dad's old green throne of an armchair - now my throne - has been re-angled. It no longer needs to face the TV stand. Now it can face the settee instead, making it easier for me to converse with anyone sitting there. I don't have to turn my head or sit awkwardly. A victory for human communication! And with my throne re-angled, I now have a direct line of sight diagonally across the lounge, through the door into the hall, and onwards into my bedroom and to one of the front windows, through which - at this very moment - the soft morning sun is streaming. This new view gives me the impression that the dimensions of my little home are actually quite large. It's a nice illusion.
So I have more physical space. Equally important is mental space. The old TV was a daily reproach. The blank screen had said 'If you don't switch me on, how will you keep up with the latest programmes that people are talking about?' But I didn't want the world tumbling into my peaceful home. I didn't want my eyes taken prisoner, nor my brain lulled by quiz and comedy shows, or worried unnecessarily by dispiriting scenes on the news. Now it can't happen. I do want to keep up to date, and well-informed, but I can accomplish that with the quite different media of the radio, the BBC News website, and the Internet generally.
Happy days.
