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Judith Whitehead from Amherst N.Y is back guest blogging about the many changes in the last 37 years... Judith has worked as a health-care professional for over 25 years.
As I approach my 37Th wedding anniversary, I am starting to reflect on how things have changed over the last several years; they are not necessarily all changes for the better. When my husband and I married in the 1970’s life was so much simpler. Our country was not at an almost 10% rate of unemployment and jobs were much easier to find in every field. Rent for our apartment was $175.00 and it included the heat.
Now that same apartment is several hundred dollars a month.
Having no cell phones, no cable TV, sharing one car and using cash for purchases since there were no ATM machines, life was easy and simple. Our biggest weekly expense was groceries, and for $20.00 we could buy enough food to last the week. A car payment for a loan was $40.00 a month and gas was about 50 cents a gallon. In a driving trip across the country in the 1970’s we needed to stop for gasoline and protested the price of 75 cents a gallon and decided to drive to the next station.I do have to admit, through the years I have enjoyed the advances in technology greatly.
There have been great strides in medicine and treatment for diseases; cell phones have simplified life in some ways but have caused more stress in other ways. Home computers have opened up a world of knowledge for everyone. What was the price of a simple calculator back in the 70’s is now the price of a basic computer today. It is an amazing time to be alive.
We have come full circle in the year 2011; we have walked our “must have” list up quit a bit. The first thing I do in the morning is check my computer, talk to friends on facebook and check my cell phone for messages. I text to my friends if I am in a hurry, and pass through Tim Horton’s doughnut & coffee drive through using my speed pass to save time paying. Our lives have become full of conveniences, some maybe not for the better. We are all in such a hurry today that our lives are passing us by.
Maybe my dad has had the right idea all along. He never used a calculator, and always added columns of numbers in his head for work. That has probably kept his mind sharp all these years. No answering machine for him; if he missed a call…oh well, “they will call back”. Cell phones are out of the question and forget about a computer. Cable TV is unnecessary, and since he never watched much TV anyway during his younger years, all the repeats are new to him now. He’s managed to make it to 92 years old without these “necessities”.
I have come to the conclusion after reaching the 37 year mark of marriage, that maybe “less is more” that has become my new mantra. I think it is time to regroup and try and get back to the basics. I am going to try and watch less TV and use my time to be more creative. It’s time to retool on how to relax and enjoy the beauty around us. I am going to try and slow down my “fast forward” speed and enjoy life more. Being married to the same person for 37 years has made for a fulfilling and eventful life. Having someone to share life’s curve balls and joys with, bring no regrets.
When reflecting on the past many years I can think of some things I would have done differently but here we are, a statistic now a days. There aren't so many people that can say they are still married from my generation. I run into people all the time that surprise me with their separation/divorce news after being married for over 30 years. Things don’t always go as planned in life but having someone to share those experiences with brings comfort and satisfaction to ones life. Marriage is no easy task; it’s definitely a compromise.
Couples of today give up easily if their road becomes rocky; true, not every marriage was meant to be, but don’t bail too quickly before you determine if there is anything to salvage. Many times there are rewards to reap.
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