Let's be real...marriage has lost it's sense of security and sincerity. Maybe it's because "til death do us part" in today's society goes more along the lines of, "til things get rough and then I'm dippin' out."
Or maybe it's because people find it easier to just walk away instead of staying to fix what they have broken. White flags wave and hands are thrown up in surrender far too soon in many cases. We are among a generation of people that think conveniences trump priorities, and treat wedding vows like nothing more than temporary empty promises.
That's why I refuse to settle. I refuse to marry someone who I am not completely, exhaustingly, head-over-heels, and absurdly in love with, because I want my first marriage to be my only marriage. (Yes, they are definitely instances where it's necessary to divorce because it's unhealthy, damaging or even worse. I'm not saying you need to continue to live with a psycho. Please, love yourselfenough to get out of that and stop settling. Never settle for mistreatment.)
I am blessed to still have my parents happily married, but so many people have not been that fortunate. My goal in life is to make sure my kids will wake up under the same roof every morning, with both of their parents, and never question the idea of love. The only time I want them packing bags to go another place is for a family vacation. I want them to be grossed out by how much me and my husband adore each other.
Loving another person like that isn't easy though, it's difficult. There will be days where you can't enough of that person, and then there will be days where you're going to have to work really hard to love them. And that's exactly why I won't settle, because I want to know they are willing to put in just as much work as I am. I want to know they aren't going to flee the instant things get messy, because anyone I have ever invested in left me in the dust. They were the runners, and I'm waiting for the person who's willing to stay.
I will not settle for less. I will not settle for someone who I do not see a future with, because nowadays, marriages are falling apart faster than I can blink. I will not settle for another half, because I want another whole. I will not settle for someone who only loves me when it's convenient, because I want someone to love me as a priority.
I refuse to settle for an "until things get rough" kind of marriage. Because one day, I want to wake up next to the love of my life and make pancakes for our kids. I want to say, "until death do us part" and actually mean it.
