What would you do with nine extra years . . .

I mentioned the following in my very first post:

FACT: by the age of 65, the average American will have spent 9 years watching television

I still have to laugh whenever I read that sentence, because it sounds so ludicrous. 9 years. None of my children are even that old yet, and it seems like they've been around forever (in a good way).

Most people regard decades as significant portions of time - think back to the 80s and everything that happened in those 9+1 years. Remember the hair bands and the Reagan administration and communism and the San Francisco earthquake? Arsenio Hall (the first year)? Rocky III and IV? Cabbage Patch Kids? A lot of stuff happens in a decade.

Remember that decade we watched tv?

Wait. What?

Anyway, I was thinking about how long a decade really is and what I could accomplish in 9 years if I didn't watch any television for my entire life (I know it's already too late for that, but humor me).

*During Christmas break I was in Florida and built a 100 s.f. sandcastle in about six hours (it was supposed to be a family bonding moment between me and the kids but by the time it was starting to look really good I found myself telling them not to touch the walls and get out of the moat and somehow I ended up finishing it mostly on my own). Anyway, in 9 years I could build a sand castle that covered about thirty acres. Hmmm. Not as big as I thought. I'd probably rather watch television

*They estimate that it took about 20 years to build the Great Pyramid, but that was with 100,000 people. I could do it in 9, but would need the help of over 200,000 other people, who would also have to swear off television for life. This is not going to happen, when 98% of American households have a television, and those who do not are mostly incommunicado, or, like me, would like to do something more productive with their lives than build a pyramid. No offense to my Egyptian following (Bassam).

*Tolstoy started writing War and Peace in 1862 and extensively edited/finished writing the piece for the next 6-7 years (a total of 7-8 years). If he had watched television, we may never have been blessed with this incredible work . . . although most people I know have not read it (if you haven't yet read War and Peace, read it. For once I am not being sarcastic. It's entertaining, not as daunting as it may seem, and has an engaging plot. But it is long. It might take you 9 years, if you are a very very very slow reader, so if that's you, just stop watching tv).

So, three things you might want to do with your life instead of watching television - build a great pyramid, build a great sand castle, or write a great novel. Let me know any other ideas you might have for the use of 9 spare years.