Media Free Week - the Beginning

Media Free Week began for me on February 14, 2003. Since we first were dating, my (then) boyfriend and I have always traveled on Valentine’s/President’s Day Weekend, usually somewhere close by, but far enough away to get a break from the routine. It was incredibly cold, the forecast called for a major snowstorm the following week, and we were determined to get our vacation in before it struck.

On the road, we had the time to have a long conversation. We were both concerned that we were not spending as much “quality time” together as we used to. I was upset that we didn’t go out as much, or see our friends as much, as we used to. He felt like I was too busy, and that I never made time to just spend with him. It sounds pretty analytical, but quickly came to a point:

“I come home and you are watching TV, so I go upstairs and play video games.”
“ I watch TV because I know you will go upstairs to play video games.”

So yes, we work too much, yes, we are “busy” people, but really, it came down to two little boxes sucking up all our free time. And while there were some really great shows on then (Buffy, 24, Pioneer House), I had to admit that I was watching a lot of crap, too. And I would truly sit in front of the TV for 4 hours a night, taking breaks to cook dinner, or while knitting and paying bills. But I kept the box on – the whole night. My boyfriend (now husband) could argue that he was “doing” something by playing a video game, but from my perspective it made him even less available – he couldn’t look away from the screen for a second. At least I had commercials.

We also felt overwhelmed by the news media. We had just been through the media blitz surrounding the Presidential Election, September 11th, and the invasion of Afghanistan. And then there was the DC Sniper Shootings – well-documented, yet factually flawed. We had felt the powerlessness of ourselves as individuals watching our own military actions, and the frustration of discovering news we relied upon to protect our community (remember looking out for a “white van?”) was completely wrong. We needed to focus on our own community, and the things that we could control.

We got inspired then. We asked ourselves – “What would happen if we took a media fast for a whole week?” It sounded easy. We spent the rest of the trip discussing what constituted media, and agreed we would not: watch TV, listen to the radio, surf the internet, or play video games. We would spend the evenings and weekends together. It made sense to fast Monday through Sunday, so we could build up to the weekend, which would surely be more difficult. We agreed to institute MEDIA FREE WEEK the first week of March.2003.

That happened to be the week that the U.S. invaded Iraq. I sat at coffee with a friend, listening to her fear and anger. I cared, but I also knew that there was nothing I could do in the moment that would change anything. I drove to work in silence, and I was able to focus more clearly on my day – not needing to check the headlines online, or catch a little bit of NPR at lunchtime.

At home, I felt more creative. I had no pattern to follow for the evening. I cooked dinner with my boyfriend and we had a chance to talk about our day.

That was the first day of MEDIA FREE WEEK. It has now been 3.5 years or so, and we are still going strong. Some months it is easier than others, sometimes I forget and drive to work with the radio on the whole way. But when we do it right, when we stay focused on the here and now, I feel calmer and more focused for the rest of the month.

What will happen when YOU interrupt the pattern?