Ever since I hit the one-year mark in my relationship, Facebook has been targeting me with ads for engagement rings from Verragio and Tacori. Not cool, Facebook. Not cool.
And recently Pandora Internet Radio decided to join in, resulting in a virtual ambush on my remaining independence.
Now I have to admit, I’ve clicked on said ads before. It’s shameful, I know. But when I see something sparkly right in front of me, I can’t help but click. Then again, if the Internet was the only thing pressuring me to think about getting engaged, I’d be relieved.
Before Christmas, the jewelry company trifecta (Kay, Zales and Jared) shamelessly broadcasted endless ads on TV during everything from holiday movies to football games. I swear, nowhere is safe.
I haven’t even mentioned all of the joyous holiday events that open up a running commentary from well-meaning, but annoying, relatives on my personal and professional life.
One of my aunts asked me about my plans for the summer, wondering if I’d stay close by.
When I told her I was looking to intern in Minneapolis that begged the question of my boyfriend, who was standing right next to me, “What do you think of that?”
He always tells me, “If it’s good for your career, then you should go.” He said to my aunt, “She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”
Truth be told, I have an application out to New York already, but I didn’t want to mention that because of the questions that promised to follow.
Friends, family and Facebook can say what they want, but sometimes I’d rather not hear it. Mostly because I’ve found that what they have to say is somewhat irrelevant to our relationship.
I traipsed off to jolly old England last summer and loved it. Having a transatlantic relationship wasn’t ideal, but we managed and the distance actually brought us closer.
Sure, we could have spent the whole summer together if I had stayed in rural America, but here’s the deal – my hometown is only 20 minutes away from college, and over the past two years or so, I’ve lost touch and grown apart from a lot of my friends I had in high school.
So when summer comes around, going home isn’t all that exciting and my social life dwindles down to a handful of friends.
For the month I was around last summer, I ended up relying on my boyfriend too much to keep me entertained. Having an ocean between us was probably the best thing for our relationship.
As I look ahead to summer again, what I’m seriously thinking about is finding another internship, not getting engaged. It’s for the best.
Collegiettes™, how do you handle pesky questions like – Why are you still single? Why aren’t you dating? Why aren’t you getting engaged? Why are you?