I hate when people ask me, “When are you going to get engaged?” or, “You’re the next one getting engaged, right?” and then watching the disappointed look appear on their faces when I tell them I’m not ready for that yet.
I am not ready to be engaged, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Some people get married right out of high school, some wait until they’ve been in college for a few years, some wait until they graduate college, some skip college altogether get married and start a family right away, and some don’t meet the person they want to marry until much further down the road. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this major life moment.
It isn’t that I haven’t found the right person yet, or that I’m not ready to “commit” yet. I am still young and I still feel like I’m a kid! When I think about getting married, I think about how great it will be when I’m finished with school and I feel ready to move onto that next step. I’m not ready to rush into my happily ever after. I want to take my time and enjoy every step of the way.
I am content where I am right now. I like having a long-term boyfriend with whom I’m obsessed. I like living in a dorm room. I like going home on the weekends and eating my mom’s pot roast and watching Netflix in my parents’ living room. I like when my mom buys me groceries and new clothes. I like when my dad gives me money for gas or pays to get my car serviced. I like that I am still a kid. I absolutely love that I don’t have legitimate worries aside from schoolwork and my car payment. I like knowing that I have found the person I want to spend my life with, and there is no pressure to be anything different or do anything we aren’t ready for. I like knowing that someday, I will have my happily ever after.
I have never understood the point of rushing into marriage. I understand wanting to get out of school and start your life, but no matter how many times I say that, I can’t help but hope that time slows down a little bit. It’s not that I don’t want to graduate, get a job, get married, and get my life started. I’m just not quite ready for everything to happen so fast. I have found my partner in life, but I don’t feel the need to rush into marriage to validate that fact. We know how we feel about each other, and that is enough for us right now.
When the time is right, we will get married, and I’m excited for that day. But for now, I’m enjoying finishing out my days as a kid.
