Cousin Conversation

On Saturday, January 22, I had an all day texting festival with my cousin Jonathon. The conversation ranged from academically charged questions to traveling aspirations and finally to relationships. For me personally, I don't typically prefer to talk about my personal relationships regarding the opposite sex mostly because it is non-existant. This is not because I'm asexual or gay or anything regarding my sexual orientation. My "singlehood", if you will, is brought on by what my friends call pickiness. According to them, I am way too choosy and overly critical of the male species and therefore I have absolutely no one. When I initially heard this, as one can imagine I was taken aback. There's no way I could be picky; I just had expectations. I want someone who loves the Lord like I do, who has goals and aspirations and is actively working toward them. I want someone with common sense that will question me when my logic makes no sense at times. I want someone who can essentially be my best friend and take care of me at times. While these are only just a few of the qualities I admire in a man, I hardly thought they were overly choosy. I must admit, however, that after hearing this analysis of myself repeatedly during my freshman year, I began to question my own so called "expectations". I would talk to different guys who had different personalities and different takes on life. Needless to say, the majority either barely met half of my preconceived expectations or didn't meet them at all. Something in my spirit just wouldn't let me settle.
This brings me back to my conversation with my cousin. Throughout the duration of our texting conversation, he informed me that at this point in my life I should be more concerned with what country I'd like to study abroad in instead of fretting about when I'll meet "the One". At the age of 26, John has obviously been through more relationship experiences than I and I highly regard him as an excellent authority on teenage "love". While finding one's life partner is somewhat of a priority, experiencing life during the college years is of a higher priority. There are things as a single college student I am able to partake in that, had I been "locked down", "tied down" or "wifed up", I would not be able to experience. He helped me to understand that relationships mean sacrifice whether it means to sacrifice time, friends and money. If I prematurely sacrifice these things, I might not have the zest for life I am so well known for. Of course I knew this already but as most of us know it takes someone outside of our immediate family to provide that needed epiphany.