As the week comes to an end, I took the chance to look back on what an amazing semester this has been for me. All the classes have been really beneficial for me and I have learned a lot. I took an Accounting class and a couple other business classes as they are required for my major and I’ve enjoyed them. However, none of those classes or even any other class I’ve taken before has had an impact on me as much as this Family Relations class has. I took this class thinking it will be another easy elective credit for me but I left our last class on Thursday feeling like I really have learned a ton not just for myself, but also for my future spouse and family.

            This week’s discussion was all about the aging family. We have read, learned, and discussed about almost every aspect of the family and marriage. These included anything from dating to marriage to dynamics and boundaries in the family to even communication, finances, challenges, and so much more. This last lesson we had was interesting to me as we know for a fact that every single one of us will go through life, age, and grow old. Just look at our parents, I’m pretty confident that most of them (at least for the students who are in this class) are aged between 40 and 60.

            We often talk about marriage and families as this amazing journey – about finding someone and falling in love, then getting married and going through life, starting a family, working to provide and support each other and raise these young kids. What we don’t see or hear too often is the actual aging process. Life happens and everyone grows old. With age comes a myriad of different problems and challenges like health issues, finances, retirement, grandchildren, etc.

            One of the things I appreciate and enjoyed most about this week’s lesson was the fact that we focused more on the happiness and satisfaction of the journey rather than the challenges, even though they are real and exist. We watched a video on two guys – one playing the piano and the other playing either a cello or double bass. They played a special arrangement of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” and smoothly transitioned into the famous “Viva la Vida” and transitioning again to finally end with “Love Story” once again. This might seem totally unrelated and not make any sense but if you took the time to watch, listen, and analyze what was going on in the video, like a lot of other things in life, you actually start to see something you’ve never seen before and learn a thing or two.

            First of all, I love music. I grew up taking piano lessons. I would have lessons and practice for hours to prepare for actual piano theory and practical exams so I could get certificates. More than those certificates though, was the appreciation I gained for music. Watching the video, you see the two guys playing in symphony. The two instruments work and sound very different, but when intentionally played together, with a lot of practice, sounded amazing. One complemented the other while not overpowering the other. Their timing was on point, as they would need to know when exactly to play a certain note or scale. They also demonstrated a lot of dynamic and different techniques of playing their instruments. For example, there were great examples of crescendo, staccato, pauses, and so much more for the piano. More than any of the instruments, timing, or technique, they enjoyed themselves. You could see that because of all the time they had put into practicing, they played effortlessly and they enjoyed it. They were sucked into the music and enjoyed every beat and bar of the song.

            This just reminded me of how life should be for each of us. Of course there is going to be challenges and trials every single day of our lives, but that’s just the way it is. If we can just accept that life is difficult, it probably won’t be difficult anymore. This week’s lesson and video just reminded me to look at things through a different lens and know that everything we are going through is like a song that spans for years. It is something that should be enjoyed and appreciated.