At this point in my life, I should be used to logging onto Facebook and being bombarded with new engagement announcements. I always see the barrage of pictures first, and then I immediately know. A good percentage of the people that I went to high school with are either engaged or already married. At 22 years old, I shouldn't be surprised by these wedding announcements, and yet I still sometimes find myself shocked when I see someone newly engaged. Jeez, another person is getting married? What am I doing with my life!?
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for these people. They've found their life-long soulmates and I wish them all the best. However, I also can't help but feel like I'm missing out on something in my life, especially when I see women younger than me with a flashy ring on their finger.
Should I already be engaged and planning a wedding? Am I falling behind everyone else? Am I not moving fast enough in my relationship because my boyfriend hasn't popped the question yet? Am I failing as a 22-year-old?
Kind of ridiculous and far-fetched, yes, but those are the questions that cross my mind every time I see someone around my age showing off their engagement to the world. When you're surrounded by friends and classmates who are all happily engaged and gushing about wedding festivities, it's nearly impossible to not feel at least an inkling of jealousy. When someone new starts to talk to me about the plans for their wedding, I can't help but feel a sense of dread overcome me. These girls seem to have it all figured out...does that mean that I don't? Why do I feel so behind every time a new engagement announcement appears on my timeline?
When I think about it rationally, I can reason myself out of those fears. I'm still young, still in school, and my boyfriend and I certainly aren't prepared (emotionally and financially) to get married. Marriage is a big commitment, but I don't doubt that our time will come. It will happen for us, just not yet...and that's okay. We have plenty of time to figure it out, and the last thing that I want to do is jump into a marriage before either of us are ready for it.
I've spoken to a few of my friends on this topic, and a lot of them can agree that there's some pressure to get married young, given the fact that a lot of weddings seem to be popping up lately from people our age. It can feel as though we aren't moving fast enough in our relationships or in our lives. It's really given me a good chance to think about where I am in my life, and although I'm not engaged yet, I can't complain.
