I think I speak for a vast majority of people when I say that in high school, one of my primary concerns was finding someone who was romantically interested in me. I, like many others today, focused a lot of time and energy on finding a significant other. Many of my friends had a lot of relationships, some have been in long term relationships with their high school sweetheart, and a few have even gotten married after graduation. I, however, did not have as much success in the dating scene during high school. I was often too busy with school, work, and family to have any meaningful romantic relationships. I often found it difficult to make it past the "talking" stage. If you are unfamiliar with this, "Urban Dictionary" accurately defines the talking stage as "when two people are not exclusive with each other nor have established what they are as a couple, but have some sort of relationship." This stage often consists of texting, Snapchatting, and posting #wcw or #mcm pictures on Instagram. In my opinion, this is truly a waste of precious time. What happened to the days you simply asked someone out to dinner or a movie?

Today it seems as if everyone is dying to be in a relationship. There seems to be this crazy notion that life is simply not as fulfilling without someone by your side. However, I have begun to realize that this strange ideology is incredibly flawed. Every person is a unique and special individual, each of us possessing our own gift to contribute something to the world. We are all whole, and have absolutely no need for another person to come along and validate our existence. While the presence of love in one's life is something to be excited about, it is not an absolute necessity. I believe there is a time and place for everything, and I just do not feel that there is time or space in my life for any romance.

I am starting to think that I have outgrown my desire to be in a relationship. I feel that I am far too busy to devote the necessary time and attention to a relationship. As I am moving nearly 2,000 miles away from Oklahoma to attend an amazing college, my life is definitely not lacking in any way. In the last seven months alone, I have been fortunate to be presented with quite a few extraordinary opportunities. I know that even without a relationship, the next four years will be overflowing with excitement, adventure and opportunity, and I am far too focused on these things to worry about romantic relationships.