Mindful on Monday: Introduction

I had the pleasure of having breakfast and a good, long visit with CathyR from CatWithCats this morning. We got caught up on our various activities and life as we know it.

Then we discussed a topic that we think is very important in this day and age. This topic we will begin exploring this month, on both our blogs,  and answer/reflect on/consider comments from our faithful readers on the subject. This topic is mindfulness.

One definition of mindfulness that I found when googled is:

Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.

For me this said that if I approach things in my life with a mindful  attitude that maybe time will slow down to appreciate the finer things and make better choices. There are several areas that I think I will use this idea on this year. The first on being finances, and the primary concern for this month is the purchase of a newer TV.

I have been thinking about this purchase for a year now, and have talked myself out of it because of finances and timing. The plan was to buy it as a Christmas gift for myself when the sales were on, then I heard that the best deals are in January prior to Super Bowl weekend. So I have put it off again until I start seeing the ads from Best Buy and others.

The TV I have still works great, however is not HD, so I have to have an HD antenna to bring in local channels. I do not have cable, nor do I want cable. All I need is local network channels to see the news and weather, plus the public channel to see a travel or cooking show occasionally. Otherwise, I watch a lot of movies, love my Netflix subscription and want to add the streaming capablility to maximize the money I spend with Netflix each month. This constitutes the majority of my entertainment allowance and keeps me occupied in the evenings while I knit.

That is my justification about the purchase and I will be choosing a TV that fits in the house, will last me for several years and offers me the best deal for the money investment. The considerations for this purchase are: available space for the screen (best size), location where it will have the best wifi connection (for the Netflix streaming), ease to hook up the dvd player (or do I need to buy a new bluray one?) and ease of usage.

Once I have reviewed all the options I will be making an educated purchase, hopefully before February 1st. Anyone with questions or ideas, please leave them in the comments for consideration.