Repair or replace that is the question

For the second time in a very short span I have had unusual electrical problems in my house. I was forced to decide to repair or replace the cause of the problems. Keep in mind that my house was manufactured in 1976. Also there are two things I don't mess with and they are electricity and gas. I figure they both have much more power than I do. The first little problem came when I flipped the light switch in a bathroom and nothing happened. I found it strange that a night light plugged into the outlet worked fine. Following the instructions of a willing repair person, led me to purchase a new switch. ...and then there was light! My second experience came yesterday when I attempted to turn on the ceiling light in my kitchen. The bulb literally exploded. I immediately turned off the switch. After removing the remains of the bulb I tried to dislodge its metal top from the fixture with needle nosed pliers. The entire thing had melted, making the job impossible. I have had light bulbs pop before, but they have never been a fire hazard. Because this same light fixture had in the recent past, water in it when my ceiling got wet from excess snow on my roof, I decided it made more sense to replace the fixture rather than repair it. There are times when things, including relationships have moved past their expiration date and fixing them is no longer a reasonable path to follow. It seems lessons come in all shapes and sizes when we pay attention.