1 thing to do instead of getting married at 23.

I recently posted an article on my Facebook wall  that caused quite the commotion. The article provided a list of things to do before you get married. When I read it I thought to myself, this is a pretty cool list, minus the whole ‘hang out naked in front of a window’ part. Yeah, NO THANKS! As a single 22 year old with no immediate plans of getting married I really appreciated the message. But then people started weighing in, pointing out how extremely negative and bitter the article sounded. And so, with a little push from a friend I have decided to write my own take on marriage before you are 23.

In 2013 four of my close friends got engaged. The first one got engaged on June 1^st and the last one on December 6^th.  Four engagements in 6 months is a lot, and those were just my close friends! During the holiday season it seems like there is a new engagement announced on facebook every other day. Tis the season.  If this had happened at any other point in my life I could have easily become bitter, annoyed, jealous. But luckily God taught me a very important message recently; I am so not ready for marriage, yet. But, I am SO ready to celebrate this stage of life with my friends.

I cannot wait to go dress shopping, to critique the bad dresses and cry at the good ones. I cannot wait to talk flowers and cake and décor. I cannot wait to watch my friends become brides, to pose for those cute pictures and make ridiculous faces in the funny ones. I can’t wait to watch my friends walk down the aisle to the men that will become their husbands. But most of all, I cannot wait to travel this journey that is a wedding with some of my very best friends. It is an opportunity for me to show them how much I love them, to show them how much I support them and how important they are to me. Because I could be bitter, I could be jealous of the love that they have found. But why would I do that? How selfish would it be to try to take even an ounce of happiness away from this special time in their life?

So, here is my list of 1 thing to do instead of getting married at 23.

1. Whatever you want.

That’s it. Do whatever you want. Do whatever feels right and true to you. If you want to get married before you are 23, do it. If you really want to hang out naked in front of a window, do it. Just let me know so I can be anywhere else.  

Oh and also, who came up with the idea that you either have to be young and wild and free and travel the world OR get married and settle down? I say be both. Get married and travel the world with your spouse, have crazy fun adventures and make awesome memories. Or don't get married and settle down. It’s your life, live it however the hell you want to.

In closing…that sounds like the end of an essay. But I’m just going to roll with it. In closing, my friend Angela (who is young and already married) made an excellent point when she shared the same article. Angela, who somehow always speaks truth into my life, said:

"If you get engaged and you don't think you can still be your crazy self, then its time to find someone who accepts you just as you are and even joins you in some of the crazy things you want to do. Do not get married if you think you can't be yourself, including randomly taking a trip to the other side of the world. Have fun and most importantly find someone who loves you for you and will not want to prevent you from being happy. WORD.”

WORD.