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TV & Chill
So apparently, we’re not actually supposed to veg out in front of the TV and watch mind-numbing shows until it’s time for us to drag ourselves out of our chairs and into bed. I say, who says that? And, who says they’re mind-numbing shows?
Sometimes they’re necessary for our mental health for goodness sake!
Let me explain.
When I worked at a horrible job for way too long, took care of my elderly, disabled mom and was the sole supporter of my household (I still am by the way), I had dreams. Maybe you’ve had them too. Dreams of traveling like I did when I was young. Dreams of having a different job, that actually was working for people I trusted and who valued me as an employee. Dreams of just getting into the car and driving down the road until I found a cute little diner and went inside and had a cup of Diner Coffee.
Tom Petty & Diner Coffee
Don’t beat down on Diner Coffee. One of the most endearing stories I’ve read about Tom Petty was the time that he went into a diner in Malibu near his home and loved the coffee so much he asked to go back and see how it was made and what type of coffee brand it was made with. Turns out it was made with a Bunn Automatic Coffeemaker and the coffee brand? Believe it or not, Maxwell House. You can read the story for yourself over at Rolling Stone.
Anyway, I digress. I mean who doesn’t love a good story about coffee!
Mind-Numbing TV or Vacation for the Mind?
Let’s get back to mind-numbing TV that may be a little bit better for you than you think. At least I think so because when I was watching those mind-numbing shows on YouTube guess what they were about? Van life. Travel. Doing all the things that I couldn’t do but could experience vicariously through the eyes of others for just a little bit.
It was like a vacation for my mind. Maybe it is for you too.
I found van lifers who were absolutely amazing videographers, ones who were amazing storytellers and those that were a little of both. They were from both sides of the pond, and invited their audience, including me, into their lives if only for that half an hour or more they were on the screen.
In the weird little world we live in now, the programs we see, especially on YouTube and other platforms like it, are more than just the mind-numbing entertainment that they used to be. For the really awesome channels that we find they are a way for their audience to engage in and become a part of someone else’s life, and yes, escape their own for just a little bit. But, most of all they allow their audiences to dream for a little bit that their own life may bit a little bit better in the future. That it won’t all be about work drudgery, awful bosses and responsibilities for keeping other people alive.
See Your Dream, Live Your Dream
Those responsibilities never go away, and neither do our own dreams, but our need for connection is a constant no matter where we are in our lives. And, sometimes we need that escape, that connection with people who are doing the actual things we want to do to help us through.
Funny thing is, that since I’ve left that horrible job and am now able to move in the direction of my dreams, I no longer watch those programs as much as I used to. Do I still check in to see if they’re okay? Of course, because that’s the beauty of building a community instead of just an audience, people actually care about one another, which is something those people who don’t understand the modern era of technological connections will never understand.
Here are a couple of my very favorite van lifers, I hope you enjoy them too.