I was roughly two years old when my parents’ marriage disintegrated and they subsequently got divorced. They say it’s much more bearable on the child(ren) when you divorce your spouse earlier on in their young lives, because they miss out on the fighting and screaming and expensive legal fees, and never have those memories stored in the back of their mind. That being said, it didn’t make growing up in two separate households any easier. I grew up in the primary custody of my amazing, caring mother, and saw my father, stepmother, and two half-sisters every first, third, and fifth weekend of the month.

Unlike a lot of the population, I never even saw my parents interact with one another in their marriage. My mom remarried when I was nine, then subsequently divorced my former stepfather when I was seventeen. The majority of that marriage was spent arguing over finances, and my stepfather’s infidelity. Even though I didn’t have the best role models for what a good, strong marriage is supposed to look like, I absolutely cannot wait to get married myself.

I am a hopeless romantic who falls very hard and very fast. My “Here Comes the Bride” board on Pinterest has 2,603 pins, and I add to that number daily. In a relationship, I give my partner one hundred and ten percent, and am not afraid to pour my whole heart out to them. I date with the future of marriage in mind. It seems odd that I am this way, because most people who have experienced divorce and/or growing up according to a custody agreement as ruled by a judge tend to be quite cautious when it comes to relationships and commitment. Heck, my entire generation seems to cower in fear at the mention of the word “commitment,” as technology has enabled us to so easily back out of commitments of every kind.

While being cautious and guarding your heart are not bad ways to go about dating, everything you hold back is something you don’t put out there. Dating and marriage is a giant game of chance. No risk, no return. In order to have great things, I believe you have to take some even greater risks. One thing I have learned being a child of divorce is that heartbreak is absolutely devastating, but it doesn’t last forever, and that a second chance is always, always there after the fallout. I put my heart out there the way that I do because of this promising second chance. I take these risks because you never know how wonderful the relationship that blooms with a potential significant other could turn out. Yes, there is a possibility that it could go down in a fiery, flaming mess that rivals a California wildfire in July; but just think about how amazing it would be if that relationship turned into a marriage that lasted multiple decades, one that all of your friends and coworkers thought of when they pondered what their ideal portrait of marriage looks like. So, throw your hat in the ring, take a risk, and say yes, then figure out the rest.

Even though marriage has been equated more with endings than beginnings for me throughout my life, I still wholeheartedly believe in the power of marriage. Getting married is sublime, but staying married, actively communicating, and making your bond work against all odds is what it’s all about. Don’t let cynics or statistics scare you, and if you take away nothing else from the article, I want you to remember to not be afraid of taking chances, especially when it comes to dating. In the future, the walk down the aisle will be the most important walk I will ever take.