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 4th.
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.