I live in a culture where marrying young is not only accepted it's encouraged. That's fine. It really is. But for me that hasn't been my path. That's fine as well. The past three years since I graduated High School have been wonderful, I've watched so many of my classmates find love, find their eternal companions.
That hasn't been my path. In fact I can count the dates I've been on on two hands. But I realized recently that there is a reason for this. When I was younger everyone asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I think I always answered 'teacher' at first. That was all I knew. My dad was a Band and then a Seminary teacher. But as I grew older I learned more and eventually I answered that I wanted to get a PhD.
Then I went to college. I started taking college classes and I began to wonder if Graduate School and a Masters were really things I wanted, let alone a PhD. College was difficult. I excelled, but I cannot remember I time that I did not in school. I worked harder. I worked longer. and I've done fairly well for myself. I recently realized that I could graduate pretty soon. I didn't realize how soon. I thought I had time to plan but on Friday I found out I can graduate this semester.
Everything has been thrown into stark relief. I realized I want a graduate degree. I realized I may even want to pursue a PhD. I realized I love learning and as a 20 year old I'm not really ready to leave the learning environment I've been a part of for 16 years. I'm not ready to enter the world of working adults. There is plenty of time for that. There will never be enough time to learn everything I want to learn. So I want to keep learning. I want to keep understanding.
So I'm not like everyone around me. I don't actively date. I study. I learn. And that's okay. My path is different, but I've realized that if I had been dating someone. If I had been involved in a serious relationship during my Undergraduate career I may not have made the decisions I have made. My goals and priorities are different and yet the same because of my choices now.
My path is different, my road the one a little less traveled by my peers.
And that's just fine.
