CNN, Fox News, and Canceling Hallmark Now

Have you considered how what you're viewing and listening to is impacting your inner and outer world?     

It doesn't take long to identify those ingesting one particular news outlet.  Rather than creative conversation, the topics brought up are a repetition of the latest headlines and talking points (complete with the most recent insults).  Rather than a wellspring of dialogue possibilities, it's more of a sinkhole--conversation erodes then collapses.

Seeing the impact of incessant intake of news during this politically charged season is easy, but what about the other channels and sites?  What about Hallmark, for instance?  

Sometimes a lovely surface is hiding a soon-to-be sinkhole.    

Now before you roll your eyes, let me explain.

In the past year I started noticing my chronic dissatisfaction. 

Nothing and no one was living up to expectations.  And guess what?  I realized that the Hallmark Now channel that we had a subscription for was a primary trigger! 

Every time I watched a movie or binged on a series, my idealism would be inflamed.   

Seeing those perfect little towns with their perfect flowers, lawns, and people would stir my own compulsive drive for perfection.  Each show would begin a subconscious comparison of my life to the idealized Hallmark version and my house and spouse always came up short.

One day my daughter and I were watching a show when she said, "I can hardly watch this stuff anymore.  It's supposed to be set in the old West and yet everyone is wearing makeup and their clothes never have any dirt on them!  It's not real."   She was right.  It was not real. 

And it was tempting me to strive for something other than life. 
Real life comes from accepting reality as it is (and the people found there), mess and all.  

So I canceled it.  

And much to my surprise, the chronic dissatisfaction dissipated!  It has brought much relief to my inner world (and to my family!).  

Who knew that a channel that seems so innocent and warm-hearted, would turn out to cause so much inner and outer distress?!  

What are you watching and listening to? 

Be curious.  How is it really impacting you?  How might it be influencing the way you view those around you?  

Is it time to change the channel, click out, or cancel the subscription?  

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