Monday, February 19, 2007

Da, dum, de-dum

2007 is shaping up to be the year O' love for several of my friends. Three weddings in as many months is, well, a lot.

It's a lot of good times, celebration, happiness - and one big, fat dose of reality for this girl. Everybody seems to be slipping rings on their fingers and waltzing down the aisle, vowing forever and ever to the ones they love while taking that gigantic leap into for-real adulthood.

But I'm not one to jump off a bridge just because everyone else is doing it. My momma tought me better than that.

But still. There's that weird feeling I get every time I hear of another singleton biting the dust. It's that nagging voice inside my head (that happens to sound a lot like my dad), reminding me that life is short, children are a joy and a dual income would rock the party.

When inquiring minds aim the word "marriage" in my direction, my reply is always something along the lines of: "Oh yes, I definitely plan on getting married. It'll happen one day." That is typically followed by: "Yes, I know. Children are lovely. I'd like to be a mother one day, too."

One Day.

Those two little words have begun to haunt me.

I once prized my single adulthood. It was sort-of a big middle finger to those people who thought it was a bit strange that I didn't marry straight out of college. The horror!

But now I'm looking back - which I know is wrong, wrong, wrong - and wondering if my attitude has been too negative. I mean, if everyone is doing it, then it must be a good thing, right?

All of my friends can't be wrong, can they? ... Nah, surely not.

I know marriage isn't all fun and games. And I know there are difficult times that can really make you question your decisions. But isn't that life, in general?

I guess what I mean is that it would be nice to know that the one I'm with is (hopefully) the one I'll always be with. That one day children will run about a home that I own, instead of rent. And after a bad day at work, I'd be able to come home to someone who offers a hug and an encouraging word.

Maybe that bridge isn't looking too bad after all.