My Generation

Did you know that 50% of marriages end within 7-8 years? Quickly look around you (and perhaps yourself). What an amazing statistic. What has changed so dramatically over the years? I am a Nirvana listening Gen X-er. Did my generation set in motion this movement of lack of acceptance? Have we simply exposed what has been there the whole time?

I just finished watching an episode of Jerry Springer. Shows like this demonstrate what is in every crevice of our society. I'd like to point the finger at the generation that lived through the 60's - the free spirited movement - for the cause. That generation might have ignited the fire, but we have carried it to an all new level. Gen X-ers live by way of the fist (and perhaps an extension of our middle fingers).

I am a part of the statistic. While I wasn't the one that ended my relationship, I am still part of the situation. I feel freer today because of it. I feel thrilled to have the opportunity to love someone even closer to my heart than the last.

Re-entering the dating scene, I had to make decisions as to what I was willing to accept now in my 30 somethings. A lot of things have changed since I last dated in my early 20s. What baggage can I accept? Many of us have either been married before, have kids, don't have kids, have had tons of sex with many people, thought we had life figured out, haven't decided what we want to be when we grow up, concentrating on our careers... I can add to this list until I'm blue in the face.

The answer to this question is as individual as the person reading this. Welcome to my generation. I often wonder if we as a society have shifted our essence. We have come to the realization that life is too short to accept anything but the most out of life and to make damn sure that we are as happy as we can be.