Kenneth Bargers

When did it happen that I found it necessary to have every television channel available? We live in challenging economic times and many of us search for ways to help relieve the financial burden. Could I do without my cable? For several months I would contemplate the value of cable television as I faithfully paid my monthly cable bill.

A few weeks ago I did an experiment to see if I could survive without this creature comfort and disconnected all the cable boxes in the house. Oh Lord, help me! I realized immediately that the issue was no longer financial but that I was addicted to television. How did this happen? I am a level headed and productive individual, or so I thought. Why was I having withdrawals and wanting to stare at the dark massive screen in the room?

The first three days were hell! I came home from work and immediately pulled out the DVD and VHS collection to watch as many movies as I could each night to pass the time. It didn't matter what the movie was about - I craved entertainment. Then on the fourth day it started getting old. From that point forward I worked around the house, concentrated on my business more and emailed and phoned clients to keep in touch, enjoyed the deck and the pleasant weather we have been having, felt more relaxed and spoke with friends and family, and enjoyed my tennis leagues with a renewed competitive spirit.

I began to realize that without any focused effort my energy dispersed to various targets and life was becoming more productive and enjoyable. Oh sure, I missed flipping on the remote but did I miss the cable? Yes I would be lying if I said I didn't miss it but in this case change was necessary and a good experiment.

The other day I wanted to watch a football game so I turned on my little portable television. I keep it in my home office on my desk and listened as I worked on a client's listing. It dawned on me; I wonder if I could get reception on one of our televisions with this little antenna? I took the antenna and plugged it in to the back of one of the TV's. Well, I'll be damned! The reception was fine on the local channels and the ballgame looked better on the bigger screen.

A solution! A satisfactory alternative is now available to the cable bill. Yesterday, we made a trip to Best Buy and purchased three indoor digital antennas for our televisions. This is a very small investment for the compromise of dropping the cable completely. Tomorrow we will contact the cable company and give our 30-day notice to cancel.

I learned several lessons during this experiment. The most important is that changes in my daily routine were necessary to be more active in my day-to-day interactions. A challenge! - Now, can I continue to make progress and transition my television time to other activities? We will see...

There were 1,935 home closings reported for the month of September, according to figures provided by the Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS®. That number is down 6.7 percent from the 2,075 closings reported for the same period last year.

Third quarter numbers have decreased from 2008 with 6,213 closings reported, which is 9.1 percent lower than last year's third quarter closings of 6,836.

Year-to-date closings for the Greater Nashville area are 15,453. That total is down 22.1 percent from the 19,833 closings reported through the third quarter of 2008. Read full story...

This year's fire safety awareness theme is Stay Fire Smart! Don't Get Burned!

Testing the water before putting a child in the bath may sound like common sense. Wearing short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking on the stovetop may show foresight. This and other simple actions may be all it takes to prevent devastating burns.

Fire Prevention Week 2009 is October 4-10 and focuses on burn awareness and prevention, as well as keeping homes safe from the leading causes of home fires.

During Fire Prevention Week fire and life safety educators across the country will bring important safety messages to their communities, showing them simple ways they can "Stay Fire Smart! Don't Get Burned."

What is your local community planning? Read the full story...

We are blessed to live in today's world but isn't it nice to look back on occasion. Hey, was this you?

A little house with three bedrooms and one car on the street.

A mower that you had to push to make the grass look neat.

In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone,

And no need for recording things, someone was always home.

We only had a living room where we would congregate,

Unless it was at meal time in the kitchen where we ate.

We had no need for family rooms or extra rooms to dine,

When meeting as a family those two rooms would work out fine.

We only had one TV set, and channels maybe two,

But always there was one of them with something worth the view.

For snacks we had potato chips that tasted like a chip,

And if you wanted flavor there was Lipton's onion dip.

Store-bought snacks were rare because my mother liked to cook,

And nothing can compare to snacks in Betty Crocker's book.

Weekends were for family trips or staying home to play,

We all did things together -- even go to church to pray.

When we did our weekend trips depending on the weather,

No one stayed at home because we liked to be together.

Sometimes we would separate to do things on our own,

But we knew where the others were without our own cell phone.

Then there were the movies with your favorite movie star,

And nothing can compare to watching movies in your car.

Then there were the picnics at the peak of summer season,

Pack a lunch and find some trees and never need a reason.

Get a baseball game together with all the friends you know,

Have real action playing ball -- and no game video.

Remember when the doctor used to be the family friend,

And didn't need insurance or a lawyer to defend?

The way that he took care of you or what he had to do,

Because he took an oath and strived to do the best for you.

Remember going to the store and shopping casually,

And when you went to pay for it you used your own money?

Nothing that you had to swipe or punch in some amount,

Remember when the cashier person had to really count?

The milkman used to go from door to door,

And it was just a few cents more than going to the store.

There was a time when mailed letters came right to your door,

Without a lot of junk mail ads sent out by every store.

The mailman knew each house by name and knew where it was sent;

There were not loads of mail addressed to "present occupant."

There was a time when just one glance was all that it would take,

And you would know the kind of car, the model and the make.

They didn't look like turtles trying to squeeze out every mile;

They were streamlined, white walls, fins, and really had some style.

One time the music that you played whenever you would jive,

Was from a vinyl, big-holed record called a forty-five.

The record player had a post to keep them all in line,

And then the records would drop down and play one at a time.

Oh sure, we had our problems then, just like we do today,

And always we were striving, trying for a better way.

Oh, the simple life we lived still seems like so much fun,

How can you explain a game, just kick the can and run?

And why would boys put baseball cards between bicycle spokes,

And for a nickel red machines had little bottled Cokes?

This life seemed so much easier and slower in some ways,

I love the new technology but I sure miss those days.

So time moves on and so do we, and nothing stays the same,

But I sure love to reminisce and walk down memory lane.

Source: Unknown, received through my daily email.