'Til Death Do Us Part

Someone you haven't even met yet is wondering what it'd be like to know someone like you.

The other day, I was talking to one of my best friends about the future. We wondered basic thoughts, such as where all of our friends would end up, what they'd be doing with their lives, and who they'd commit themselves to. With the real world slowly creeping along, getting ready to strike at any moment, we couldn't help but think of what will happen when everyone stops having time to see each other.

Being two young, hopelessly romantic girls, we mainly thought about who we'd spend the rest of our lives with. A few of our friends have already gotten engaged (most of my friends are several years older than me), and the thought of the moment when all of us are either engaged and married makes us anxious. We're young, we're reckless, we're alive. We don't completely know what we want for ourselves, and we don't want to make any disastrous mistakes, such as declaring the wrong major or marrying the one who isn't the one.

All of this talk about marriage got me thinking. Love comes from investment.

There is no such thing as "love at first sight." Sure, something about another person might effortlessly entice you to a level that "can't compare to the rest." But that's not love, that's infatuation. You don't know who their closest friends are or who their worst enemies are. You don't know their inner fears, their hidden desires, their favorite memories. Hell, you probably don't even know their name. You only know their physical attributes, and you're infatuated with whatever lured you in to "plunge so deep."

True love doesn't occur instantly.

It takes time.

Falling in love is a process--one that you have total control over. You meet someone you have a mutual interest in, you start talking, you begin seeing each other, you get to know one another, and so on and so forth. You didn't have to invest all of that time into that one person; you had the option to spend your time as you pleased. The time you invest in a particular person is what sets them apart from the rest.

Look at it this way: a day is a day until it becomes an anniversary. A flower is a flower until a special admirer sends one your way. A song is a song until it is attached to a newfound memory. A ring is a ring until a lover slides one on your finger. Sentiment transforms even the most simple things into something extraordinary.

Investing yourself in another person is what makes that person, and everything associated with them, that more special.

I guess what I'm getting at is I'm afraid of making the wrong decision. Afraid of devoting myself to the wrong guy. Afraid of letting the right one slip away. After all, time is something you can never get back, no matter how hard you try.

I promise you, this is definitely worth your time.