I do not believe that my father and mother loved each other
when they got married. After all, their marriage was practically arranged. My
paternal and maternal grandmothers, who were classmates in culinary school, (sotto voce) connived to make the union
happen. To say the least my compliant
mother had to dump her then love interest to wed my father.
Fortunately, my parents stuck to their till-death-do-us-part vow through nearly 60 years and the trials and heartaches of raising five children. Their commitment must have been
for eternity. Both in their mid '70s, they passed on nearly one after the
other. My dad went first in March of 2004. My mom followed in August of the same
year.
These days older couples are separating for a different
reason: divorce.
According to Susan Brown, author of The Gray Divorce
Revolution, the divorce rate among couples 50 years old and older
doubled between 1990 and 2009.
Studies, including one made by the Association
of American Retired Persons (AARP) in 2004, indicated that two-thirds of the divorces were initiated
by women.
While there were no specific findings as to the cause of the
breakups, Susan Brown offered reasons relating to economics, personal
satisfaction and self-fulfillment.
Apparently, the phenomenon, while puzzling and alarming, is not limited to humans.
After growing up together and eventually being a pair for 115 years, romance petered out and Bibi and Poldi, two tortoises in a zoo in Austria could
no longer stand each other. Zoo staffers had to separate them thereby ending what was the world's oldest known "animal marriage."
The aggression was
reportedly started by Bibi who, one day seemingly tired of Poldi's
attentions, hauled off and bit his shell compelling zoo staffers to transfer
Poldi to another enclosure.
Zoo staffers did all they can to rekindle the couple's
interest in each other including providing them with "romantic food" and opportunities for "joint games." Unfortunately, no effort at reconciliation worked and the two tortoises remained estranged.
Obviously, the thrill was gone.
Obviously, the thrill was gone.
Below is a photo of Bibi and Poldi during happier times.
Photo from the Austrian Times |
- Ariel Murphy
Those are a pair of pretty sexy turtles. Love this post!
ReplyDeleteMahalo Mitchell Hegman.
ReplyDeleteThanks - loved it !
ReplyDeleteMahalo Pete! Appreciate the encouragement.
Delete