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*).
