By Leigh Dethman
Some people like to call me a work-a-holic. I”m a career woman with high goals.
I”m not supposed to care about fluffy stuff like marriage, right?
Well I”ll admit it, I do. I”m a softy just like the rest of you. I”m just like Snow White, frolicking around waiting for my Prince Charming to come.
And Provo is the best place to meet him, or at least that is what I”m told.
Marriage is a funny thing.
It is the hot topic on everyone”s minds at BYU. It seems you can”t get away from weekly sacrament meeting talks about preparing to meet your eternal mate.
In my old ward, once a month the bishop and his wife gave a Sunday School lesson about how to maintain a healthy marriage. The bishop even gave us dating tips.
It is an unwritten rule that you can”t get married until you”ve taken one of the marriage prep classes on campus.
You learn about anger management, love, how to make a honeymoon successful and the importance of multiplying and replenishing the earth.
With so many educational opportunities on campus, you would think every student at BYU would be married after their first semester on campus.
I think we should rename the ward activities committee. From now on, these fun-filled folks will be referred to as celestial matchmakers.
They plan “ward activities” where they just happen to split the teams up, making sure a boy and a girl are always together.
They say these activities are to unify the ward, but we all know better.
They are all out to get us.
It is because of this influx of marriages that my pocketbook keeps shrinking.
Bridal shower and wedding gifts aren”t cheap, and it seems there is always another shower to attend.
But look on the bright side. You could eat free dinner for a week by attending local BYU student receptions.
I guess I”m getting used to the whole idea of marriage, although I”ve never been able to stay away from the endless teasing.
In high school I was always heckled about moving to BYU, the early marriage capitol of the world.
My friends made bets on my wedding day. One said it would take a year. Another said it would happen exactly one week before my 21st birthday.
I turn 22 next month.
I defied the odds, and made a few bucks in the mean time.
I could have been like the women of my pioneer heritage and married young. If that were the case, I would have been married before I even got my driver”s license.
That”s a scary thought. I”m waiting for my Prince Charming to come, but I”m still doing something with my life. I”m pursuing a career and going for my dreams.
Don”t get me wrong, I”m not against marriage. Just like Michael Bolton said, love is a wonderful thing.
I just don”t understand the preoccupation with the whole thing.
Live your life. Don”t just wait around for your Prince Charming or Little Mermaid to come along.
Snow White had it right: some day my prince will come.
