Last week this article went viral, titled “From The Girl Ready To Settle Down at 20”. The author speaks of her preference to stay in, rather than go out, and her strong romantic relationship, that she hopes to be in for the rest of her life. In the first two days after this article was published, it received over 100,000 shares. Even if you never read it, you probably saw it somewhere online, or even know people who share the ideas that the writer talks about. Maybe you even agree with her.
Even if you’re not thinking about getting settled down at age 20, you can still probably relate to most of the things she’s saying, because it’s more than likely that you’re thinking about doing it eventually. The future you’re planning for yourself probably involves the job and the house and the kids, and a nice sense of “settled”.
I, however, have never pictured my future this way. The idea of the typical adult lifestyle, complete with the cubicle and the minivan, kind of scares me, actually. I don’t know if I ever want to settle down. I wouldn’t mind a life of being unsettled down.
I want a job that I love, the same as everyone else, but I don’t know if I want to commit to one career or even one industry for my entire life. I don’t know if I want to commit to “settled”. I like when plans change, I like travelling and doing things, and I’ll try anything once. I’d like to try as much as possible. There are so many things I’m interested in and would love to do one day, and most of them don't fit into the "settled" lifestyle.
I know that settling down doesn’t have to mean that your life is suddenly devoid of fun and adventure, but sometimes I’m worried that that’s what it will be like. I don’t mind being unsettled. I like going out and being a little crazy and meeting new people and experiencing everything that life has to offer. I’m worried that settling down will lead to a live of ruts and routine.
And at about this point I bet you’re asking about the Marriage and Children thing. How will I be happy and fulfilled if I don’t have a loving husband and children? Maybe I’ll find someone who is also content with being unsettled. Imagine experiencing all of the crazy, wonderful, exciting things that life has to offer, and doing it with someone you love. Maybe I will settle down romantically. Marriage is something I can see in my future. It might not be the traditional Big White Wedding marriage, and it most likely will not involve having children, but the idea of having someone who loves you and is always there for you doesn’t sound too bad at all. He might not be my soul mate, because that’s a lot of pressure for one relationship, and often leads to settling, instead of just settling down, but that’s alright with me. Maybe a part of being Unsettled Down is believing that you might not just have one soul mate or one career path, or one anything.
