The real world is the ultimate in reality TV. So instead of turning your mind to mush watching unnaturally thin people pretend to be other unnaturally thin people, spend a week when you turn off the TV and …
… attend school.
… attempt something considered to be impossible and prove all your critics wrong.
… admit your darkest secrets.
… arrive early to your next appointment.
… act like it until you feel like it.
… bake your own bread.
… begin a new hobby.
… be kind to yourself for a change.
… bow grandly and say “Thank you” next time you get a compliment.
… breathe deeply.
… brush somebody else’s hair.
… brush your teeth.
… call a friend.
… call me sometime.
… change the world.
… change your mind.
… change your underwear.
… chase rainbows.
… choose a colour and paint your bedroom.
… choose your long distance phone carrier.
… chop wood.
… clean the windows.
… clean your drawers.
… clean your room.
… climb a tree.
… colour outside the lines.
… comb your hair.
… complete a 10,000 piece jigsaw.
… compose a song.
… cook a cake.
… create a legacy for the future.
… cross that bridge when you come to it.
… cuddle your family.
… dance the jitterbug.
… dance the night away.
… debate something you feel strongly about with your local politician.
… dig in the garden.
… don’t covet your neighbour’s ass.
… don’t spread rumours.
… do the dishes.
… do the laundry.
… do the Macarena.
… do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
… do your favourite exercise.
… eat a good breakfast.
… eat all you wish.
… escape.
… express yourself creatively.
… excite your partner, then both run away to the bedroom!
… fall in love.
… fall over.
… find buried treasure.
… finish that book you’ve been reading.
… fix something that’s broken.
… floss your teeth.
… follow your dream.
… forget it can’t be done, do it anyway.
… forgive a grudge.
… found a literary movement.
… get your cholesterol checked.
… go bowling.
… go fishing.
… go for a walk.
… go for broke.
… go ice skating.
… go on public transport.
… go rock-climbing.
… go to a church, synagogue, pagan festival or a house of worship.
… go to the library.
… go to the planetarium.
… go to town, where all the lights are bright.
… have an annual checkup.
… have more fun.
… harmonise your decor.
… haggle with a street merchant.
… help someone build a house.
… herd cats.
… hide easter-eggs everywhere.
… host a party.
… hug a close friend.
… hear the sounds of silence.
… ignore what your mother told you.
… invent a word.
… invite an enemy over and make up.
… improvise a play.
… inspire somebody to greater heights.
… bounce on a trampoline.
… jump on the bed.
… joust with somebody from the SCA.
… jingle your keys on the way out the door.
… keep an appointment.
… kiss your lover.
… laugh at commuters.
… learn a language you think sounds beautiful.
… learn improvisational comedy.
… learn to master your computer instead of letting it master you.
… lick an ice-cream.
… line dance.
… line up dominoes in a row and watch them fall over.
… listen to a symphony orchestra.
… listen to the wind.
… live simply.
… live your dreams.
… look at the stars.
… look at the world with the eyes of a child.
… look out the window.
… make an inventory.
… make a tape of yourself singing, reciting a poem, or just talking in every language you know, and save it for your grandchildren.
… make mud pies.
… make up with somebody you argued with.
… memorise a poem that you love.
… mend a fence.
… minister to the sick.
… mow the grass.
… paint a picture.
… paint the town red.
… participate in a fun-run.
… pay a bill before it’s due.
… pick up rubbish.
… pick your seat.
… pile it higher and deeper.
… plan a trip.
… plant a garden.
… plant a tree that won’t be fully grown for 3 generations.
… play ping-pong.
… play with children.
… play with your children.
… prepare your will.
… pursue art for art’s sake.
… raise money for a good cause.
… read a book.
… realize your weight doesn’t matter.
… rearrange the furniture.
… recycle old newspapers.
… reduce, reuse, recycle.
… remember that eating is not a sin.
… renounce your secret crush.
… re-plant native vegetation in a degraded area.
… ride a bicycle.
… ride the bus.
… role-play.
… save an engendered species.
… set lower standards for yourself.
… settle old bets.
… shake hands with your neighbours.
… sharpen all your pencils.
… shoot baskets.
… shoot the rapids.
… sing.
… skip class to do something important.
… sneak outside and jump up and down in the long grass.
… sort some papers.
… sort your old photographs.
… spend time with the aged.
… start a compost heap.
… state the fundamental theorem of calculus.
… stoke a fire until sparks fly.
… support a new mother, somebody with a chronic illness or disease, or somebody new to the country.
… swim underwater until you run out of breath.
… switch banks.
… take a bath.
… take another look around.
… take photos and show them to somebody who can’t get there.
… take up acting.
… talk to your cat.
… talk to your Mum.
… talk with someone.
… teach a class.
… teach someone to read.
… tell everybody you love that you love them.
… tell someone that you love them.
… test the smoke detector.
… test your patience.
… throw out everything still in boxes since the last house move.
… throw out junk.
… tie your shoes.
… toil in obscurity.
… treasure the moments.
… tune a guitar.
… use recycled timber.
… use the library.
… visit an art museum.
… visit a new restaurant.
… volunteer to clean up a city park.
… volunteer to spend time with lonely immigrants.
… wake up and smell the coffee.
… walk along the seashore, lake-shore, desert, mountains, or parking lot.
… walk anywhere.
… walk the dog.
… walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
… watch a game of Theatre-sports.
… watch a play or musical.
… work at your local humane society and spend time with animals.
… write a letter in longhand.
… write a manifesto.
… write a poem.
… write the great (topic-of-your-choice) novel.
… write to an immigrant in detention.
I’d love to hear what you do instead of watching TV! Feel free to leave your ideas and suggestions and experiences in a comment or mail me and I’ll add your contribution just as soon as I get around to it (might be a while, I’m busy not-watching-TV myself, just now! *grin*).
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