HOSPITAL TELEVISION...

 

absolutely sucks, and yet the only activity available when I wasn’t sleeping or dozing was to stare at the television mounted on the wall. There were maybe 15 channels from which to choose and practically none of them had any decent programming. One day I said something to one of my nurses who laughed and said she told patients the hospital planned it that way so we patients would be eager to return home to our preferred programming.

Programming consisted of some shows I’d never watched before and plan to never watch again. One was called Hoarders. Now, I realize the people profiled in these programs are seriously mentally ill. But where were their family and friends when the problem first began? I know my own family would do an intervention should they realize my house was being overrun by rabbits or cats, filled with piles of garbage or so filthy it would be amazing I could live in such squalor.

Family members were included in these programs, but they seemed almost as bad as the hoarder or had simply given up on trying to make the hoarder’s life better. I also found myself wondering how and why these individuals would agree to have the hoarder’s life profiled in such a program or agree to be part of the process when it came to trying to improve the hoarder’s life. I’m sure they were all paid some kind of fee for their participation, but I’m also sure that the hoarder went right back to his or her bad habits once the cameras left.

Another show was called Dr. Pimple Popper. Again, I’m sure the people with the problem were paid to participate as well as given free treatment, hotel and travel accommodations. I only saw a couple of these shows before that channel was replaced by fuzziness, but it was sort of sickeningly amazing. I think the doctor’s name was Lee. She was Asian and very nice and appeared to know her business. I didn’t see her pop any pimples, but I did watch as she removed lipomas from the various patients. In every case, the patient left feeling as though s/he had been given a new lease on life because the ugly growth or problem no longer existed.

Then, there were the commercials. Seriously, have you ever known anyone who received a car for Christmas with a HUGE bow on top. I’m sure that does happen, but not for anyone I know. There was even one commercial where the husband bought not one, but two vehicles and told his wife to choose…she chose the one he wanted for himself. Seriously, I don’t know anyone personally who could afford to gift one car, let alone two whether it was Christmas or July 4^th.

What about all those glittery diamonds that flash or slowly rotate across the screen. Again, I don’t know anyone personally who would go out and spend thousands on a Christmas gift of diamonds or any other item that would cost so much. I believe most of the people I know, and my own family look at the Christmas budget and spend less than a hundred dollars on gifts.

I found myself wondering who all those people are who do have the funds to spend so outrageously. I also found, and perhaps my age has something to do with that and the fact I don’t need or want more stuff, myself grateful my Christmas wish list is small and reasonable.

Now that I’m back home, the TV programs I’m watching are the ones I choose from a much larger variety and the commercials are either nonexistent or I fast-forward through them. And, you know what, I don’t miss seeing all those fanciful commercials one single bit, plus even if I run across programs like Hoarders or Dr. Pimple Popper, I won’t be tuning in to watch. What I’ve already seen, was way more than enough.