It's always so uplifting to learn about a pair who has endured the test of
time since we are inundated with news about the newest celebrity couple
whose relationship has crumbled.
Take 72-year-old movie icon Jeff Bridges as an illustration.
A rare breed in Hollywood is the actor. He married Susan in 1977, and they
have been together ever since.
And Jeff Bridges claims that his marriage has improved throughout the
course of their 45 years of marriage.
Bridges has been a renowned and lasting movie star in Hollywood for many
years. His breakthrough came in the 1970s, when he received Oscar
nominations for his performances in the classic movie The Last Picture Show
and Thunderbolt and Lightfoot with Clint Eastwood.
In blockbusters like King Kong and Tron as well as critically praised parts
in movies like Starman and The Fisher King, he found continuous success.
However, his most well-known performance was as "The Dude" in the cult
classic The Big Lebowski in 1998. This role has generated fan gatherings and
its own guiding principles (and countless orders of White Russians at
bars.)
While filming Rancho Deluxe, a 1975 western comedy, the veteran actor fell
in love with Susan Geston. On a property near Chico Hot Springs where a hot
bath scene was filmed, Susan worked as a waitress.
"I noticed this girl while we were filming a scene in the hot tub at a
location called Chico Hot Springs. I was unable to look away from her. She
had two black eyes, a newly broken nose, and was stunning (from a car
accident, I later learned). I was intrigued by something about her beauty
and deformity, wrote Jeff Bridges in 2014.
Jeff would eventually win Susan over, but it would take time. Jeff once
asked the attractive waitress out after work, but she declined.
A few days later, he re-asked, but received the same response. It's a tiny
town; maybe we'll run into each other later, Susan finally said, giving him
hope.
They eventually connected after some time on a night off from work.
After a night of dancing, the two got along well, and soon the waitress was
packing her things to accompany Bridges back to California.
While Geston wanted to be married, Bridges was hesitant about making such a
commitment during their relationship.
Geston informed Bridges in 1977 that she would follow her own path if he
would not propose marriage to her. Bridges was aware that he would live to
regret letting his love leave.
According to Jeff, "Oh God, I can't let this woman go." "I got this idea of
an old man wondering, 'Man, why didn't I marry that girl from
Montana.'"
So he did, and a few days later the pair was married.
45 years later, Bridges and Geston are still much in love.
The two have gained a lot of knowledge about communicating and sticking
together under pressure. They have one grandchild and three adult
daughters.
Isabelle, their eldest child, was born in 1981. The other girls, Haley and
Jessica, were born in 1985 and 1983, respectively.
According to Bridges, he still has the same level of admiration for his
wife as he had when he first saw her busing tables.
What you don't realize until you are married, according to Bridges, is that
you actually believe all other doors are shut.
"But this gate you open [with marriage] is a hallway lined with all these
other amazing doors - children, closer connection, experiences, and
everything else," the author said.
Of course, friction exists in every relationship. But Bridges and his wife
never gave up when they encountered a hiccup; instead, they learned how to
work through it by having regular, honest, and open communication.
Bridges stated, "If you switch partners whenever things are difficult or
you feel a bit unsatisfied, then you don't gain the richness that's present
in a long-term relationship."
"We appreciate our differences as individuals rather than letting them
cause us to drift apart. She has wisdom, which I value and am sure the
daughters do as well. I've been really fortunate.
Bridges believes his marriage has improved steadily over the past 45 years.
What they don't tell you about marriage, he said, is that it just improves
with time on all fronts.
This tale helped me regain hope for true love and enduring
connections.
Tags:
celebrity