Weddings are for cake and dancing. And love, too.

My best friend is getting married.

     This is a girl I've known since we were in diapers... as children... as opposed to being adults in diapers. That would be weird... maybe. Mary and I grew up in the same small town and knew the same small circumstances. No street lights; just stop signs and dirt roads. We used our imaginations. We were tomboys. We were taller than all the boys. Her childhood boyfriend was my big brother... and now, she's getting married. I'm excited for her. I'm excited because she's marrying a good guy, young in age and experience, but willing to rise to the occasion, willing to learn to be a husband. They compliment each other and encourage one another in their passions. They have a genuine companionship, and I'm glad, since I didn't see it coming. They first met at a doughnut shop where Daniel had been working when Mary got hired. Daniel had no intentions of dating anyone, and Mary had just gotten out of a bad relationship. I discouraged Mary from dating him because she said he could be kind of an Eeyore, and I assured her this would be a waste of her time. How wrong I can be. They both reluctantly began dating and found that despite initial impressions, there was love that ran deeper than either expected. It took everyone by surprise.

      I got the invitation in the mail yesterday, and it hit me: I am absolutely the last of my kind. The last of the single independents. All of my friends are married with babies here or on the way, and in new lives that have little in common with mine. It's not that I'm not the marrying type; I think I definitely could be. I'd like to be. The thing I have to consider now is, am I the last to the party because I've been pushing away real chances at love? Am I too headstrong, too stubborn? I want what I want for a reason, so my initial reaction is "no, no, I'm not. I'm selective". If I'm honest with myself, I know I'm not your average woman. I'm excessively passionate, and overtly aware that it will take a very specific man to love and appreciate me in all my little nuances for a lifetime. He's gotta have a champion's will to keep up with me. So, when the time is right, I hope he, too, will rise to the occasion.