Tune In..

We are odd people in this home. Not just because I say it, because most who visit agree and either one of two things happen; either they join in with our bizarre shenanigans and eventually find them to be our version of "normal, or they never come back.

I shall pick one instance to give a glimpse of the real live life we lead. Our television viewing habits are a good example. Until recently, we watched a T.V. that the top six inches were wavy lines. They also made the picture upside down from those six inches up. We watched anyway even though it was sometimes in color, sometimes not, sometimes loud and sometimes silent. And when others came, "How can you possibly watch this T.V.?" is exclaimed with surprise. Well we did...until I finally broke down this spring and bought a new one.

And still the television issue is prevalent in our household. Most days we don't turn the volume up and we watch a silent spattering of images and wonder out loud what in the world is going on. It is to the point that most of the time, as we talk over the T.V. we hardly realize we don't even have the volume on at all until someone says, "Why are you watching this without the sound?" I know this is annoying to most folks, but we are used to it and it doesn't faze us.

Recently, one of the kids friends came, (he is a brave one and has repeatedly come back)We all were in a lengthy discussion and something interesting flashed across the screen. "Oh wow! I wonder what's going on?" and we all began chatting over whatever appeared to be happening across the screen. After some time, I finally said, "You know, we could turn up the volume and see what is actually happening." And it's funny, I don't remember what was so all important, only our excited chatter about what MIGHT be happening.

I know even thinking about that would send some in a tizzy or fit, yet for us, and the lasting people in our lives, it is as it usually is, it is the our strange normal life.

Some days we watch the blue screen. It is the background of our lives. Why do we not turn it off? Or when the DVD is done playing it will song the opening "play" scene for hours on end before someone bothers to change it or turn it off or watch the movie over. We watch the Hispanic channels, though none of us speaks Spanish, and make up stories about what is going on.

I am thinking maybe we are a little more interested in each other than what is out there in T.V. land. I am not against television in the least bit. I actually thought it was invented just for me when I was a kid. I didn't realize folks saw the same thing as me inside of that box. I thought the performers lived only to entertain me and waited inside for me to be allowed to turn the television on. I am simply assuming that our wonder and curiosity are near as big as our imaginations. And maybe, maybe we are just weird.

Monika M. Basile