Thoughts from Thursday (on a Tuesday): On Being Single

Okay, it's true. I have been known to occasionally flop on the couch, throw back my head, and whine, "I just want a boyfrieeeend."

But recently I've been thinking about my life as a single person, and you know what? I'd have to say that I'm pretty dang grateful that I'm not married (or even dating for that matter--gasp!). Because not only do I love my life, but I am, in fact, IN LOVE with my life.

Disclaimer: I already understand that marriage is important and necessary and wonderful, alright? So stop that.

But wow. If I had gotten married at 19, like the rest of Provo, I would have missed out on so much. I wouldn't have gotten to meet and hang out with SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE. I wouldn't get to go camping with 30 of my friends in the mountains on a whim. I wouldn't get to go to institute every Tuesday and church every Sunday and chat with basically everyone in the ward afterward. My contact list in my phone would be significantly shorter. My pictures on social media would be significantly less exciting. The number of places I've been would be smaller. And the neurons in my brain would be significantly less connected because I would have had significantly fewer stimulating and interesting conversations!

I am so grateful to be 22 and single. Because 22 is so young! And I get to spend these classic young adult years doing exactly what twenty-somethings should be doing: exploring, discovering, traveling, playing, growing, learning, right alongside my lovely contemporaries, whom I feel so blessed to know.

Every person has a different path to take in life. I know plenty of married people who say they're so glad they got married at x age, and they couldn't imagine anything better. That's okay. That's good. That's great. That's not for me. Let's still be friends.

Wait. Can you still have friends when you're married?? Hahaaaaa jk guys.

In a Rich Man's World

Today during my lunch break I had planned to call my mom, but my mom was at Costco and couldn't talk (surprise!), so I walked to Haagen Dazs, bought some ice cream, and sat down on a bench to think about my life. But really all I could think was,

"When did I become the person who spends $6.35 on two measly scoops of ice cream? I can't believe I just spent $6.35 on two scoops of ice cream. Who am I? I am ridiculous."

Seriously, living in Bethesda has done this to me. $15 is fine for dinner, $13 is fine for a movie, and apparently $6.35 is fine for two scoops of ice cream.

I am not rich! This is not okay! I have grad school to save for for crying out loud!

But don't worry. I felt so bad that, in order to compensate for my lack of self-discipline during lunch, instead of getting on the metro at the Bethesda stop to go home, I walked aaallll the way to Medical Center and saved 50 cents.

Crossing Paths

I am fascinated by the lives of my contemporaries. Being a twenty-something is hard, but if I've learned anything in the past five years, it's that we're all just doing the best we can. I meet person after person with story after story. I love the stories. We're all where we are because it's where we feel we are supposed to be. The Lord has placed each of us in a specific spot for a specific reason. I was led here, to Washington DC. By an incredible stream of miracles, I landed in this apartment with these three wonderful roommates. I randomly landed a job that didn't look very promising at the outset, but has turned out to be instrumental in shaping my entire career and future. I'm headed back to Utah next, to pursue that career, but who knows what will actually happen? I could just as easily pursue that career here, but something is calling me home. And I'm eager to find out why.

Ahh! I just love looking around and seeing how everyone's lives intersect. It's kind of beautiful. Who will I cross paths with next? What will I learn next? Who will I love next?

Converted

I've always been a pretty loyal PC person, but heark! Revolution is on the wind! And I am typing this to you from my brand new MACBOOK AIR.

I am in love. IN LOVE I TELL YOU!

Other things I'm in love with:

-Fridays off work
-Ben and Jerry's
-Rain, the smell of rain, the sound of rain, etc.
-Birdy's song called Best Shot. So cute.

Things I am not in love with:

-The fact that I left my memory card in the HP laptop I returned last week. I am an idiot. Is this post looking a little sparse to you? WELL IT'S BECAUSE ALL MY PICTURES ARE ON THAT MEMORY CARD AND NOWHERE ELSE!!!!
-Studying for the GRE. I have no memory of algebra. NO MEMORY!
-My phone deciding to boycott receiving messages
-My phone in general

That's all for now. Let's all pray I get my memory card back. Because those pictures are just too good to be exiled to oblivion.