I am at that confusing age. Girls either want zero commitments, or they want their entire life planned out. Some have already been with their high school sweethearts, others are meeting their soulmates in college and the rest are content with independence, like me.

I am too young to fall in love. I cannot fall in love, because I do not want to. I do not want to sell myself short and give my heart to someone who feels right at the moment.

Here is what I want to do:

I want to focus on my education. In the modern era of receiving a higher education, most of us are in debt as soon as we walk through the doors of our university freshman year. You best believe I will devote as much time as I can to my studies. A significant other who demands my attention or allows me to slack off from my work is not someone I want around me. I am fortunate enough to receive a education beyond high school, so I will not waste my college years chasing the love of my life who may not even exist. For this reason, I will wait.

I want to relax. In past experiences with clingy and jealous boyfriends, I could not be around others, males or females, without feeling guilty or nervous. I felt the need to constantly be in touch and inform them of who I was with, where I was, when I would be home, how I would get home, etc. Are they my parents? Absolutely not. I want to be able to put my phone down and experience the moment I am currently in. I cannot do this because I have not met someone who has allowed me to do so. For this reason, I will wait.

I want to play the field. God forbid a girl say this nowadays; she becomes labeled as a whore or slut. But is it really so frowned upon to meet a multitude of men to discover the qualities you like best? I encourage testing the waters. Do not give your heart in its entirety to someone who doesn’t deserve it. Talk to a jock, an artist, a quiet man or an outgoing man. Some people are blessed with “the one” early in life while others have to search for it. I believe the journey will be worth the end result. Until then, I will certainly develop memorable stories to share with friends and advice for future children and grandchildren. I have gotten to know a variety of men with various personalities through various encounters, but I do not believe I have found the perfect one for me. For this reason, I will wait.

The way I see it, I have time. I want to go with the flow of life and relish in my own independence without reporting to anyone (besides my mom). Everything will fall in to place as it is meant to, and I am certainly in no rush.