Is Thirty-Seven the Magic Number?

At my wedding reception in the (ahem) 80s, I remember telling someone, “When we are on our fifteen-year anniversary it’ll be the year 2000!” Since it was my wedding day, and we were only married for a couple of hours, fifteen years seemed like an eternity. And we’d be old!

The turn of the century seemed like science fiction to me. A time and space that was beyond my capacity to comprehend. My future seemed bright, but also scary. Would our marriage make it? Would we have children? Would we both even live to the year 2000 and beyond to grow old together?

Here we are, June 1st, 2022 and both of us completely forgot our anniversary until it was upon us. Is thirty-seven years the magic number when it’s no longer a big deal?

2022.

Talk about futuristic! I feel like I’m living in the future. There was no blogging for me then, because there was no internet! No cell phones. No high-def television. No driverless cars.

But, it’s not the technology that has surprised me. My grandparents went from horses & buggies and scrubbing clothes on washboards, to automobiles, washing machines, plus radio and then television. So, I figured I’d see many inventions throughout my life as well.

What has absolutely shocked me about this future life is . . . the change in culture. It not only feels like the future but like I’ve passed though a wormhole into another dimension. Absolute truths are now relevant to the perceiver. 2+2=4 isn’t even absolute anymore. Someone can be ostracized for simply saying the equation equals four, because it could offend someone who says it equals seven. This is what I never could’ve imagined. Even if it was in a movie, I would’ve thought it was too far-fetched.

It’s true when they say aging is not for the weak-minded. It not only hurts physically, but I certainly don’t fit in to today’s culture. The good thing about aging is that I’m more secure and don’t care so much about what others think of me.

When my husband and I reached our twenty-ninth wedding anniversary, it seemed like I’d just turned twenty-nine years old. How could I have been married that long? I still felt young and vibrant.

Now, at thirty-seven years of marriage, I’m feeling every bit of my age, and the years I’ve been married doesn’t seem important. This number is actually far from magic, but it sure does put things into perspective. I’m blessed to have this wonderful, giving, and caring man all these years. It’d be an added bonus to be vibrant and healthy again.

If I could give advice to young people, I’d tell them to revel in their youth. Live it up and be grateful. Don’t expect others to change for you. You are in charge of you and you alone. Do what makes you happy, and don’t worry about what others think of you.

Play. Laugh. Dance. Sing. Swing on a swing-set. Smell flowers. Watch the sunset. Challenge yourself with exercise while your body can still move comfortably. Follow your heart’s intuition, not your emotions. Have compassion for those emotions, but don’t let them rule your decision making. Trust your inner guide.

Most importantly love yourself. Because when you find the love for self, all the other stuff will fall right into place.

“Life’s a game made for everyone, and love is the prize . . . All this time I was finding myself, and I didn’t know I was lost.” ~ Avicci