To the girl who can wait,

Hookups are bad. Don't date around. Find a boyfriend. Lose him? Find another. Post about your relationship. Make it look cute. Say I love you way too soon. Get engaged by 25. Buy a dog. Buy a car. Buy a house. Have a wedding. Start a family.

That's all well and good, but what if you haven't found the one yet? Do you settle? Commit yourself to the first person who comes along and shows some kind of interest in you? Fake it until it looks real?

Have relationships really become that disposable?

I always thought we were supposed to wait. That one day we'll find that person who warms our heart and makes us see fireworks when they kiss us. That settling wasn't an option, and marriage was something we only did when we found the best friend we want to spend the rest of our lives with. I didn't think there was a ticking clock, a set date or a period in my life I had to find the love of my life by.

It's not always easy to have this thought process. The strange looks and disapproving glances make my decision not to have a boyfriend or settle down yet that much more difficult. I couldn't tell you the amount of times I've been asked, "So are you dating anyone?" or, "you really don't want a relationship?" by people who hardly even know me, let alone have the right to judge me.

There are times I start to waver, to wonder if it's worth the wait. It would be so much easier to date the boy who talks to me every day after class or winks at me when I go out. At least I would have someone to text, to go on dates with, to cuddle and watch movies with, to introduce to my family. Things might be so much easier, my heart might still be intact, and I wouldn't have to look at all my friends with boyfriends and think "what if I had that?"

Then I remember the only Cinderella story I've ever related to: my parents. The way they look at each other would make you think they've been together since they were 14. In reality, they didn't meet until they were in their 40s. Introduced by a mutual friend, they immediately hit it off, and have been not only husband and wife, but best friends ever since. They show each other funny videos, laugh at ridiculous jokes only they understand, sing songs while they clean the kitchen and kiss each other when they think no one's looking.

My mom has always told me to wait until I found someone who loves me as much as my dad loves her. That even though she didn't get married until she was 40, it was worth it because now she gets to spend every single day of the rest of her life with her soulmate. The bond my parents share proves this to me each time I see them together, and I can't imagine a better fit for either of them There's not another couple who would help each other figure out how to use an iPad, laugh at each others corny jokes or make the most mundane trip to Home Depot an experience they'll talk about for years to come.

After seeing this type of love, how could I settle for anything else? Even though it's challenging, I know with every heart break, every bad date and every failed relationship, I'm only getting closer to finding that person. The journey and all it's hardships won't matter when I arrive at it's destination.