50th Anniversary

What’s in a 50^th anniversary? I’m giving this some thought since I’ve had a lot of those in my life lately. Last year I was part of a well-planned and executed 50^th reunion of Sherborne Course II graduates on zoom. That was followed by a well-attended and meaningful 50^th in-person celebration of the Claymont Society for Continuous Education.

And now, Wait for It——————-

Jack and I are celebrating 50 years of marriage as of May 10^th. That’s a lot of 50^th anniversary events.

The Meaning of 50 Years

It’s leaving me with the question, what does 50 years mean to a 74-year-old? A question worth contemplating. I was 22 when these 50 year runs all started. Which means, in Gurdjieff terms, I had attained the age of “reason.”

I mention this in the context of being able to look back at these various collections of 50 years from the vantage point of an adult “me.” What I see is the following: The essence connections I made at Sherborne. The family I found at Claymont. And the partner with whom I’ve shared all this together with life’s ups and downs.

All told, these three-fold anniversaries compose the very marrow of my life. A school that left me with a life’s worth of unpacking and practicing. A community that has given me a stable core around which to center a life. A husband who shares my spiritual and worldly journey through time.

Fifty In Terms of Time

And what is time if not an accordion?

When I was young, time was slow.  I remember my grandmother reminiscing about her 50^th wedding anniversary. This seemed an unlikely goal to attain. Then, in my middle age, our Lombardy Poplar trees began to die. I had outlived the lifespan of a tree. It gave me a perspective on life I had not had before.

Now I find myself grabbing time with a conscious breath to slow it down.

Marriage Milestone

A 50^th anniversary is a milestone. A marker of continuity, a celebration of content. It puts a point on a timespan that incorporates that which is definable. In this case, a marriage.

Marriage—two people combining to make a life. Which in the end, means giving something up of oneself to make something new together. And like the accordion of time, it is variable. Different tempos, different tones, but with conscious effort a symphony results.

This 50^th anniversary of my marriage to Jack marks an essence relationship that I believe is deeper than personality and will last longer than time.