Dateline Suburbia: The Joneses Call It Quits

We interrupt this column to bring you the following information. The Jones family has decided to resign from their lofty and often envied status as trend setters to the nation. They ask that all of us no longer try to "keep up with them."

When asked why they had decided to do this Mr. Jones said, "My wife, our 2.3 children and I realized that with the advances in technology, especially the internet, it became too difficult to stay one step ahead of everyone else. In the past, we could set a trend and it might take a year or two before everyone was doing it. Sure, California would catch on right away, but you expect that. Now, it's set a trend today and tomorrow they're doing knock offs in Taipei. The pace just got to us. We decided it just wasn't worth it anymore. We'll miss the admiration of the crowd a little. However, we won't miss the endless hours of thinking about what to do next."

We asked the Jones family what they planned to do now that they would no longer be in the limelight. They said they had a 7 point plan to help them make the change from being "The Joneses" to just another family living in the suburbs.

So, here is the Jones family's formula for ordinary living.

1) Spend more time together as a family and develop a deeper friendship with each other. To help them do this, they plan to eat one meal together each day, either breakfast or dinner. And, they have decided that learning to listen is a skill that they would each like to develop better.

2) Limit television to 90 minutes per day including news programs and use the time they save to read a current best seller, either fiction or nonfiction. Once a month they will give a fifteen minute book report to the family or a friend.

3) Write a hand written letter to a friend once a week to say hello and keep in touch.

4) Keep the cellular phone turned off more than it is on. Don't use the cell phone in the car, especially if there are passengers. Talk with them. Enjoy their company.

5) Take walks with friends and show interest in them. Discuss important issues. Be open to different points of view.

6) Realize that it is okay to just do nothing once in awhile. Just relax for relaxation's sake. Lie on the grass and see faces in the clouds. Watch bees bumble. Giggle with children on the playground. Spend an hour a day for yourself, doing whatever you want to do. It's free time you've earned by working so hard.

7) Get out of debt. Buy what you need and need what you buy. Think about big purchases for a week or more before buying them. Save until you can pay cash. Recognize how much stress came from money matters in the past. Delay gratification now so you can enjoy the future debt free.

 After the interview with the Jones family this reporter thought about what they had said while preparing this story. And I realized, "they'd done it to us again." The Joneses, with their 7 step plan, had set another trend that would be good for all of us to try and keep up with.