Life has changed in 35 years

Thirty-five years ago I was working at Borden’s Dairy in Dayton, Ohio. My daughter was in kindergarten. My co-worker, Mary, was my best friend. I was dating a guy I had known casually for several years. His best friend, Richard, often went out with us.
That chilly April day my daughter walked me down the aisle. Mary and Richard waited with my future husband. Our immediate families watched as we exchanged our vows.
Thirty-five years later, Richard is dead, the victim of smoking, drinking and probably drugs. My grandmother slipped away in the middle of the night and my step-father died singing. Both of my husband’s parents have also passed on peacefully. I miss them all.
In between there have been job changes for both of us. Some jobs were fun and well-paying; others, not so much. We moved several times, usually to be closer to work. The last move led us out of Ohio to our current location.
Along the way we have made friends that we don’t see often enough. We have explored national parks and gotten lost in strange cities. We have eaten food that we weren’t sure how to pronounce and met people we never would have known if we had stayed home. We have had bad days, good days, and lots of laughter. Our souls have melded in ways we never thought possible.
He has learned to tell the difference between a tulip and a daffodil. I have learned the difference between a joist and a stud. I have coaxed him into plant nurseries and he has shown me the wonders of the home improvement store. We are both richer for having stayed together.
The world has also changed. Jimmy Carter was president in 1979. He believed saving energy was as simple as lowering the speed limit and turning down the thermostat. It isn’t that easy any more. Walter Cronkite was the face of the news. If Uncle Walter reported it, then it must be so. How different that is from all the wild speculation that passes for news these days.
Television was gentler. Programs offered hidden lessons in morality and “bad” words were never uttered. Comedies ruled the airwaves. It was acceptable to end a show with, “Good night and God bless,” without fear of offending someone or facing cancellation. The sheer meanness that pervades so much of the media these days was unheard of back then.
We have seen so much change in the last 35 years. Some has been good, like the demise of pay toilets, some not so good, like the ubiquitous plastic bags that decorate our trees and shrubs. I miss service stations where a friendly guy would fill the gas tank, wash all the windows, check the air and oil then top off the service by handing out Green Stamps.
I miss sales ladies who wrapped purchases in paper then tucked them into paper bags emblazoned with the store logo. I even miss telephone books that were thick enough to use as booster seats for small children.
I miss the energy we used to have. What happened to the days when we would come home from work and do more than collapse in exhaustion? Those days have evaporated even though neither of us has a daily job to report to any more.
Yet, when I look at my husband, I don’t see a portly grandfather who would rather sit and watch a car race on television than go out and run around. I see the slender man who was smiling at me as my daughter and I walked down that aisle so many years ago. I see the love in his eyes and I am glad that we have traveled through so much of life together. The world has changed, and so have we. The important thing is that we have experienced these changes together. I wonder what the next thirty-five years will bring?[[In-content Ad]]