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<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Boy, do we look young!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n Yesterday my husband and I celebrated 33 years of marriage.\u00a0<\/strong> Or as my dad used to say, “Thirty-three years of indentured servitude”.\u00a0 He was joking, of course.\u00a0 I think.\u00a0 In any event, I was thinking about marriage last week as we prepared to observe our special day.\u00a0 We have remarked several times over the past few months that we are very fortunate that we’re so compatible because it seems like we’ve spent 25 hours a day together<\/strong> since March.\u00a0 And like many others, there have been a few challenges.\u00a0 In addition to dealing with soaring COVID numbers in Arizona, I had some minor surgery in May, my husband underwent nine weeks of radiation therapy for prostate cancer and even Dash the Wonder Dog joined in with the diagnosis of a heart murmur.\u00a0 Add in the hottest summer on record and it seemed like the fun just never stopped.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you\u2019ll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow.”<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Erma Bombeck<\/em><\/p>\n “Marriage has no guarantees.\u00a0 If that’s what you’re looking for go live with a car battery.” Erma Bombeck<\/em><\/p>\n Well heck, I don’t want to be left behind the current trends so I’ve decided to undertake a bit of a home facelift<\/strong> next month.\u00a0 We’ve been through remodels before so I realize that COVID may be a cakewalk compared to demolishing tile floors.\u00a0 In fact, under no circumstances should “remodel” and “marital bliss” be uttered in the same sentence<\/strong>.\u00a0 They start next week so I’ll keep you posted.\u00a0 We may have to place bets on whether we make it to year 34.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Suzanne Sparrow Watson “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” There are few phrases as sobering, with the possible exceptions of ”We have lift-off” and ”This country is at war.”\u00a0 \u00a0Erma Bombeck Yesterday my husband and I celebrated 33 … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/lockdown-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>Now that we’re almost to fall with its sub-100 temperatures and the COVID numbers are abating,\u00a0 I’ve had some time to reflect on how we’ve changed<\/strong>.\u00a0 At first I mused that the only “growth” we’ve seen is in our girth.\u00a0 But in fact, we have gained renewed appreciation for each other and our home.\u00a0 Not necessarily always in that order.\u00a0 I love our house and am giving it full credit for getting us through this.\u00a0 \u00a0A few years ago we contemplated selling our home and moving into one of those slick retirement communities<\/strong>.\u00a0 I think we have commented 1,000 times this summer that we’re grateful we saved ourselves from that fate.\u00a0 Our friends who live in said communities have spent months cooped up in their apartments with meals being delivered to them.\u00a0 It’s like prison only with better food and nicer guards.\u00a0 The advantage of our house is that we have plenty of room to spread out.\u00a0 Like fighters between rounds, we are able to go to our separate corners<\/strong> to gain space and sustenance.\u00a0 In actuality, we seldom even argue.\u00a0 Still, spending 24\/7 together is like the ultimate game of “Survivor”… just hoping one of us doesn’t get voted off.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Trader-Joes-224x300.jpg\")
<\/a>As I was researching articles about marriage in the time of COVID I found several about the increase in marital discord<\/strong>.\u00a0 Apparently lots of people are<\/em> being voted off their marriage island.\u00a0 All over the world couples are struggling with lockdown, from mental health issues to realizing you’ve married someone who, in fact, is very annoying in a 24\/7 world.\u00a0 The pandemic has caused higher divorce rates and it’s anticipated the rate will only increase once everyone is fully out of lockdown or back to work.\u00a0 I know that we’ve had it easy and have thought often about families where the parents are working from home AND trying to instruct their children on the higher principles of algebra or the periodic table.<\/strong> \u00a0There are many parents who have lost their jobs and are juggling a job search and childcare\/home schooling at the same time.\u00a0 It’s a lot to ask of a marriage to hold up amidst all that stress. On a brighter note, I also read many articles about people reconnecting<\/strong>, both with their spouse and their children.\u00a0 It seems being locked up together has caused people to talk more about their frustrations, desires and needs.\u00a0 It’s also caused a boom in real estate and remodeling as people “nest” as they did right after 9\/11.<\/p>\n