Love is Patient

I have turned from a girl drowning in the invisible dangers of a long-term, never-spend-time-apart relationship into this free-spirited woman that just goes with the flow and is perfectly satisfied without relational commitments. I have never been as joyous and grateful as I am now. I am independent, learning something new every day, and making valuable connections that influence both my personal and professional lives. I, Marla Yvonne Osti, am happy.

Most people spend their twenties dreaming of obtaining fairy tale love. They want to get married, have a big, poofy wedding dress, and have children that they can subtly brainwash to be exact duplicates of themselves. For most twenty-year olds, love should be now. Love should be raw steak - always tough, uncertain, and suspicious to begin with, but juicy and tasty after spending the perfect amount of time on the grill. If you keep that steak on the grill for too long, however, you will grind your teeth trying to chew through its dryness, disappointed in the tiresome effort you've made.

Some of those that marry in their twenties make it through their entire lives without divorce. Others do not. Looking at the amount of change that I've gone through in these mere two years of my twenties, I simply cannot imagine committing my life to someone else through marriage in the next seven to eight years. Time can only tell, but I still have a lot more room to change, grow, and learn. It is easier for me to change, grow, and learn while being single than while being in a relationship. In a relationship, I like to focus on making the relationship work. Therefore, I have my significant other always in mind. As a single woman, all I have to focus on is me.

I'm not like most twenty-year olds. I would much rather slow-roast love into my thirties rather than pop my heart in the microwave for two minutes. Love is meant to be patient. Why should I rush? I feel that the more experience one has with premarital love and relationships, the better his or her future marriage will be. Practice makes near-perfect. Why spend your time practicing in a way-too-soon committed marriage? Marriage is very serious, and divorce is painful and expensive. Enjoy the time you have to yourself right now. Being lonely is inevitable, but if you keep your cool and focus, continuing patience, your reward of true love and commitment will be far greater than you could ever imagine.