One thing a good friend told me before I even started college was this, "once you get to college, it'll feel like everyone you know is getting engaged or pregnant." Man was she right.

Relationships are something everyone experiences at some point in their life. They're definitely a catch-twenty-two and involve a lot of commitment and compromising. Does that come as a surprise? It shouldn't.

So while everyone around me it seems right now while I'm at college is literally married, about to be married, or starting a family I wondered for awhile when I would become the next person to be in that category. But the fact is I'm nowhere near that, nor do I want to be at least for now.

Now I know what you're thinking, don't most girls dream of their weddings since they were like five and that's all they've talked about growing up? Okay yes, most girls I know did to an extent think about what they wanted for their wedding and a lot of them now are married and living a life that the rest of the student population may not be doing yet. However, after the past few relationships or "so called relationships" I've had, I've decided to take a break. This doesn't mean I'm swearing off boys or whatever, but no one should you be able to determine when you're wanting to date again except yourself.

Another thing I've been told here recently is, "you should date someone so the four of us could go on a double date." Two issues with that. One, I don't have a so called date. Two, why would I just date someone if I didn't have the intention on wanting the spend the rest of my life with them? At this stage in life, I wouldn't just want to date for the heck of it. I'm in college, trying to get through nursing school which isn't easy, and I'm pretty sure even if I had the time that I would want to be sure that the person and I were on the same page. If I were dating you just because, we might as well just stay friends honestly. There's no point in wasting the emotions and energy when it could just be saved.

At some point you being to get tired of those around you suggesting ideas on how you could find someone or that they found a guy who would seem "perfect" for you. All those dating apps you may have tried or even just messaging a guy on social media because you thought he was cute, probably isn't getting you anywhere. Believe me, it didn't get me very far either.

I decided after my last relationship that I should try to work on myself more and see what more there was to life than just devotion to one person for nearly all hours of the day. Turned out to be the best decision of my life because it gave me a newfound sense of freedom I hadn't felt in a long time. My confidence slowly came back and I was able to decide things for myself that maybe would've been compromised if I were in a relationship. Not to say those are bad things, but this whole "rediscovering" who I was while not needing a man by my side has been an incredible experience.

I wholeheartedly believe that before you even should start dating you should be completely happy and content with where you are in life. If you're not happy, relying on someone else to do that for you isn't a relationship, that's more like babysitting if I'm being honest. It took me nearly a year of being by myself to recognize how much I needed it to just develop and learn to love being alone. I could see my friends anytime I wanted and actually devote more time to them that I hadn't previously because of dating. Let me just say that one of the most frustrating things ever is to push your friends aside while your boyfriend or girlfriend becomes your number one priority. We've all done it, but it doesn't make it okay.

There are days when I miss having that "relationship" aspect when it comes to going out to see a movie or just talking to someone about my day. However, I know there will be plenty of time for that in the future. Honestly I couldn't be happier with where I'm at in life because now I have a plan for when I get out of nursing school and it involves a lot of traveling I wouldn't have been able to do while in a relationship. I do believe that at some point God will point me in the right direction of the man who I will eventually spend my life with. Until then, I'll continue on with my life and making the most of it.

Guess that saying of, "you'll find someone when you aren't looking" will come into place at some point during this. I just know that whenever it does, it'll be at the right time and worth the wait.