If you’re anxious, you’re thinking of the future, if you’re depressed, you’re thinking of the past, to be at peace you must be in the present moment. ~Lao Ztu
According to a major study into mental well being “we spend 46.7% thinking about something other than what we are actually doing.” The study also concludes that “reminiscing, thinking ahead or daydreaming tends to make people more miserable, even when they are thinking about something pleasant.”
So how does this relate to having a dedicated home theater? I am willing to bet you have a passion, a hobby or ritual that brings you into the present moment, that slice of time in which you escape from your thoughts and truly enjoy the moment. These experiences can also bleed into daily conversations with like minds allowing you to share in the present moment. Please allow me to explain-
Weekly, for a 4-hour period my wife is present for every minute of NY Jets football. The world melts away and it’s just her and gang-green. Win or Lose horribly she has escaped. My brother’s escape routine begins when he grabs the keys to his Harley Davidson Fat Boy, then tightly grips the throttle and speeds away from every one of his nonsensical thoughts. My personal oasis is getting together with 20,000 like minded fans at a Springsteen concert and belting out Born To Run! After the game, the ride or singing with the boss, the next best thing is finding those who enjoy the same escapes and sharing our experiences. Christine’s thoughts start to dissipate when seeing a Sam Darnold jersey, my brothers mind starts to clear when he identifies a Harley Logo or fellow biker passing on any manufacturer’s two-wheeler and a Springsteen riff’ always brings me back to the Glory Days. All of these lead to conversations, sometimes even between complete strangers, engaged in a blissful moment of commonality.
When we create an environment for our clients and their loved ones to escape, we are gifting them with an opportunity to be in the present moment, in their home, at any time, with any experience they choose. It can be a movie, sporting event, video game, concert or just binge watching that allows them to escape. They are familiar with having a kitchen for nourishment, a bedroom for rest and a bathroom for primping, but are they aware there are rooms that whisk them away from worry and anxiousness? This simple philosophy has certainly eluded me until listening to my good friend Michael Restrepo’s morning rant. Of course it always felt good entering a home theater but after listening to Mike’s weekend experience it clicked. “Watching Christopher Robbins with my family had us all drunk on home theater” He explained. “When that light, airy, childlike voice of Winnie the Pooh flowed from the surround sound all the glowing cell phones, iPad’s and laptops were abandoned, My kids looked like deer in headlights staring at the silver screen, I was in the present moment with my family, it was a champion night!” He ranted on. I began to connect with Mike immediately and what we as an industry really offer. Exactly like the experiences above, any Jets game, motorcycle ride or Bruuuuuce concert is a great experience, even quite magical at times, and we are the experts in deploying these exceptional spaces, helping create the moments people seek most.
I know clients understand big screen TV’s and surround sound, but what they do not understand is what I alluded to earlier, environment. Watching a Jet game from across a noisy bar, riding that hog through Manhattan or listening to a concert from the parking lot is not practical or even enjoyable. As I have learned from Theo Kalomirakis, “The theater is the gift wrapping of what is about to happen” and, “The space leading into the theater should build anticipation, like the turn styles before an amusement park ride.” Environment leads to mindset and that’s shaping the experience before it even begins. So when you are planning your clients entertainment space take note of windows with distracting busy street views, staircases where others will be ascending and descending noisily, even telephones or other competing technology in the room. Have the conversation about attractions vs distractions and gifting them with the best space possible, the present!
Robert Skuba
National Smart Home
The Tech Reps
Rayva Home Theater Representative