Thursday, January 5, 2017

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2007. The last Christmas we had with Mattie, before he was diagnosed with cancer. It is amazing when I think about this, because about seven months later our lives permanently changed. In this photo, we were in Florida and it had just stopped raining. In fact, from our hotel window we could see intense winds blowing the trees around. After the storm we went for a walk and Mattie retrieved a palm frond. In true Mattie style he wanted to carry it back to the hotel and bring it to our room. Somehow we convinced him not to do this but to take a photo with the leaf instead. 


Quote of the day: Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, 
Whispering 'it will be happier'... ~ Alfred Tennyson


Naturally when one goes away for a week, you are greeted with a stack of mail when you get home. Unlike other stacks, this stack was filled with Christmas and Holiday cards. I am not in love with the holidays to begin with, but seeing card after card of family photos was no picnic today. 

Peter and I walk a fine line, because either we are a part of this world and experience other people's joys and disappointments or we could isolate ourselves from reality. Not sure which is better.  

The photo you see here is of a greeting card I received from City Wildlife. This is a local organization that rescues wounded wildlife. In fact, some of my blog readers may recall that I rescued a dove last spring and brought it to City Wildlife for rehab and release! I absolutely love the photos of the baby robins on the card and of course the positive statement on the front. It is a meaningful message because most of the animals in this shelter would never get a second chance on life if it weren't for citizens in our area picking them up and getting them medical attention. So these animals never know..... "when something wonderful is about to happen."

This morning, I was listening to the radio and heard an article from Cosmopolitan being discussed. Not a magazine I read, but after hearing the discussion I pulled up the article on-line. Mainly because the subject matter disturbed and intrigued me at the same time. The article is entitled, Why I married myself. You can read it at this link: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a8507112/marrying-yourself-wedding-trend/

The article mentions that marriage (to another person --- THEY HAD TO QUALIFY THAT because at one time that was a given) is on the decline. Barely half of all adults in the U.S. are married — a record low — according to a 2011 study from the Pew Research Center. In 1960, 72 percent of adults age 18 and older were married, while today, just 51 percent are wed. People are waiting longer to marry as well: The median age at first marriage is at a new high for brides (26.5 years) and grooms (28.7 years). 

I honestly do not know where I am with this concept of marrying yourself, but at the moment I do not understand it. One can feel proud, confident, and satisfied with one's self without having to be married to yourself. The notion that there are wedding planners for self marriages ALL OVER THE WORLD, is also intriguing, as this isn't just a US phenomenon. Registries for gifts for self marriages, wedding rings, invitations, etc! I am quite sure this says something from a sociological standpoint about the changes in our society and culture, but overall what does this say about our mental health. Countless studies have been done that have measured the importance of sharing a life with someone, both the physical benefits (of living longer, caring for one's self better), and of course the psychological ones. As human beings, we are social creatures, and do need others in our lives. People entering our lives should be celebrated, and moving away from this concept to the unity of you with yourself to me has consequences on us individually and as a society.