For my final post I wanted to talk about aging a little bit, but I also wanted to end with a reiteration of why these posts have meant so much to me. First off, aging seems like a strange topic to be writing about right? I personally try not to think too far ahead because the future can seem quite daunting and overwhelming. However, sometimes it is good to think about the future and what you want yours to look like. It is important that we make decisions now that will benefit us later on in our lives. Typically, there seems to be a fairly negative connotation surrounding the principle of aging. Maybe the first thought that comes to mind is getting old, becoming dependent, and less capable. This sort of lifestyle surely seems less than desirable, yet many elderly people are even happier than they were in their younger years.

Why might someone who is older, actually be happier than when they were younger? It could be a number of things, but really depends on how they lived their lives while young. Interestingly, it has been observed that older people tend to remember more positive memories than negative ones. Whereas younger generations, remember both negative and positive experiences. Therefore, the older generations have more fond memories to look back on, leading them to feel more positive and fulfilled, regardless of their current quality of life. In addition, those who are married can actually have a very strong, happy relationship with their spouse. Older married couples frequently report more sexual satisfaction than younger couples. They have been able to live their lives and grow together with their spouse, increasing their bond and their love. Couples are better at taking turns, helping each other out, and relying on one another overall. So perhaps growing old, especially with someone you love, is in fact not that bad? If you make decisions now that will allow you to feel more gratified and hopeful in your future years, then the future can be something to look forward to, rather than something to be fearful of. 

So when I first started this blog, my purpose was to share the things I learned from my Family Relations class, as well as my experiences thus far. I admit when we were first told we would be starting a blog and posting every week throughout the semester I was a bit intimidated. I did not think I would have enough to say, or that what I wrote would not seem very valuable coming from a young adult who has never been married before. However, I learned so much from the class about things I never thought would be taught at school, but was really glad they were. All of these blog posts were like a summary and a personal reflection on what I took from each week's lessons, combined with how I felt the information applied to my life. It was one of the most insightful and interesting classes I have taken. These blogs became a way for me to try to verbalize my internal thoughts about the topics, as eloquently as I could. Now I have all these posts to look back on, as a form of notes. I think all that I learned throughout the semester were the most valuable things I have learned, as they apply to my present life, my future career, and my future family and relationships. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to take the class. I hope that whoever reads any of my posts is able to have an open mind and maybe even gain some insight from what I wrote. Writing this blog was personally insightful for me and who knows, maybe I will pick it up again someday! I still have plenty to learn- that's for sure. Thank you so much for reading!