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5 reasons that marriage isnt really that hard
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Marriage hard? Here are 5 reasons I don't really think so. - photo by Tamsyn Valentine
I remember when my husband and I first became engaged; it seemed that people loved to give us marriage advice.

We, of course, were very grateful seeing as neither of us had ever been married before and wanted it to be the best marriage possible.

Some of the advice was very insightful, such as telling each other I love you every day, giving your marriage 100%, serving each other, learning to compromise, etc.

But what we overwhelmingly heard, and from seemingly happily married couples, was how HARD marriage is. Seriously, it seemed that every other conversation we had with married people was about the difficulty of marriage.

Now, dont get me wrong; I understand their good intentions. They were just trying to prepare us for the learning curve that occurs for most newlyweds. And although I havent been married for a very long time, I am here to tell you marriage isnt really that hard.

Here are 5 reasons that marriage is really the best thing ever, and the best and most rewarding thing that you could ever do:

1. Feeling the love

Love, true love. Marriage, sweet marriage.

In marriage you come to understand the true meaning of love; of loving somebody so much that you cannot imagine your life without him or her. Feeling that kind of love is one of the best things about marriage. This kind of love also comes with new understanding; understanding that you can have this love despite imperfections, or fights, or misunderstandings.

2. Having a permanent best friend

I am sure you have heard it a million times, but you should really marry your best friend. Having someone you can share everything with is both so comforting and so rewarding. You can share your hopes and dreams, your fears and aspirations, your bad days and good days. This person is who you laugh at weird things at and create inside jokes that only you understand.

3. Being weird together

Talking in alien voices. Weird pet names. Grabbing random body parts.

Marriage comes with the opportunity to be extremely odd together and totally accept it. You might get strange looks, and your friends might not want to be around you, but as a married couple you will love being weird together.

4. Learning life skills

Before I was married, I was pretty responsible. I got good grades in my classes, spent my time wisely, and tried to budget. But I feel that once I got married the life skills I had learned were taken to the next level, and I also learned many, many more. Marriage teaches you so many useful and helpful things about money, time, and life in general.

5. True communication

Marriage teachers the purest form of communication. It teaches you that in order to resolve an issue or problem you HAVE to talk about it. It teaches you to communicate your emotions and feelings in an effective way, to talk about how much you love and care for another person, and making sure they know it.

Being married is the best thing ever. There are just no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It is an opportunity to learn and grow, and to help you and him become better people. Because everyone doesnt know everything, there are moments of learning that may be difficult, but when you look into each others eyes and realize how much you love each other, it all becomes insignificant in the end.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.