A couple of months ago, our satellite TV service was suspended for nonpayment of the bill. It wasn’t a surprise, I knew I wasn’t going to make the deadline and I couldn’t get an extension since they had given me one a couple of months before. In the priority of paying bills, paid TV is on the very bottom of the pile. Even so it has never been shut off in the 7 years we’ve had it. So instead of three TV’s we were down to one, because the others are the old antenna televisions and need an analog box to work without the satellite dish. The service was disconnected for 2 weeks. The first day or two I did miss a couple of shows I watch on Bravo, TNT, HGTV and the Food Network. But of course life went on and Tovah and I shared the one TV we had and watched shows on the internet. And then it was back on. Of course there was a very happy teen in my house, but I began to question what I was really spending my money on?
Well, a little over a week ago I made the decision to let it be shut off again for a couple of weeks. But this time, I haven’t missed it at all. I do miss the convenience of watching the news in my bedroom but that is really about it. But what happened this time, was that Tovah and I spent more time together talking and reading. It was like old times. When I first purchased paid TV, Tovah was around 10 years old and we mostly watched it together. There were only a few programs she could watch in her room by herself. But as the years have passed and she’s gotten older she likes to stay up until midnight most nights, and I have trouble watching a complete episode of any program that is on between the hours of 9–10 pm…LOL!!!
Because we’ve had paid TV for so many years, at first it felt like something I really didn’t want to lose. My heart was a little sad about the whole thing. But the truth of the matter, it doesn’t bring a whole lot to my life. I’m a writer and I can go without putting the TV on at all. I do try to keep up with what is happening in the world, but I have spent an entire weekend writing without watching TV. Also now with the service being off, I just read more at those times I might have been watching it. To me there is nothing like a good book. But what I found is that I’m not bored and I had more quiet time to talk to the Lord and think. It is important to have this extra quality time with myself each day. Time to unwind and time to think. As the old folks would say, “Time to chew on things.”
The conclusion I have come to is that I’m going to let the service go very soon. I would like to have a digital TV in my bedroom, only because I found myself falling asleep at night downstairs and that wasn’t good. But, why struggle to hold on to something that really is not such a great benefit as much as a drain on my finances. Of course my daughter doesn’t agree so much with me, but since she has no monies to pay the bill…momma rules!
Is there something in your life that you are struggling to hold onto? Something that is really more of a hindrance than a benefit? Are you trying to keep up a beauty regiment that is draining your finances? Are you paying a car note on a car that is way too expensive? Is your house about to go into foreclosure? You want your kids to stay in private school, but you are barely making ends meet? Life is tough right now for many people. We are being told that the economy is picking up, but if you look closely—that’s not necessarily true. And so many of us need to make adjustment in our lifestyles, but there is something that is not so easy about doing that. It’s hard to let go of those things that are comfortable to us, and the things that we have worked hard for. Yes, it is not so easy to let go of them.
The best advice I can offer is that you seek God (with all your heart) about letting go. The first time our TV service was suspended, I knew there was nothing I could do about it. But it did give me food for thought as to why I was even struggling to pay for it? Once that seed was planted, I began to talk to God about it. With His wisdom, it really makes sense to rethink having paid TV at this time. Does it mean I will never have it again? No! It just means that in tightening my belt and exercising wisdom…a sista’s gotta do what a sista’s gotta do!
What’s in your life that you maybe need to let go of?
Love & Hugs
Ponnie
Maria Guzman will be here tomorrow...English & Español
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