This week, our kitchen sitting area has been the site of a social experiment of sorts. Our TV there went suddenly and permanently mute a few days ago.  Without warning and for no apparent reason (other than poor manufacturing), the two-year-old TV’s internal speakers stopped working. Next week, we’ll have the TV repaired. But in the interim, we’ve been using headphones. And this has created an interesting kitchen dynamic.

On the first day of mute, I was joyful with the silence. But then a pall began to slowly descend over the room. There’s something off-putting about seeing a person who is engaged in something (a TV show) but blocked out from the rest of us. And gradually, I’ve noticed that when I have a choice about where to hang out, it’s anywhere but the silent-but-occupied kitchen. Sure, the headphones mitigated a rough situation. But they also showed me that TV, like most things, is at its best when shared.