BY CANDIECE KNIGHT | In the 65 years that he has been married to Marrian, centenarian James “Doctor” Taylor says they have never had a serious argument. He attributed the longevity of the marriage to his wife’s calm nature, the strong bond of love between them, sympathy, compromise and a lot of romance.
“When you love, you must sympathise with each other. If you say you love, and you can’t sympathise, then you don’t really love,” the spry Taylor shared when the Jamaica Observer visited his home last weekend. “We’ve been married for 65 years, and all now we don’t have a good quarrel.”
The agility of his step, clarity of his speech and sharpness of his memory and wit betray the fact that he is 100 years old. The jubilant Taylor was delighted to share that he is still able to care for his 87-year-old wife. He made no secret of the fact that he is the one who does most of the cooking and cleaning around the house. Doing household chores is just one of the ways in which he shows his wife that he still cherishes her, he said.
“If you love each other you must show it,” he continued, adding that frequent physical intimacy has helped their marriage to stand the test of time.
“You must touch one another. Every move you make, make a touch. That little touch goes a far way,” he encouraged younger couples.
Taylor laughed as he recalled one instance when he forgot to touch his wife, and she had to initiate physical contact.
