A Childless Suburbanite

Yep, that's me. I pretty much planned to be pregnant by now. Wasn't that how it was supposed to be? I'd go to college, after graduating at 21 I'd marry that guy I met, and two to three years later we'd be introducing our first child into the world.

HA!

When I was 14 I decided I liked the finer things in life. I wanted to live in or near New York and spend lots of times going to Broadway plays and writing. I was convinced my taste for the slightly expensive was quite different from the athletic aspirations of the rest of my family.

Well, I got the urban, but I sure didn't get the luxurious. Yet, isn't there something strangely luxurious about making your way in one of the biggest cities in America and loving people all day long? Add to that the fact that you're following God's call on your life and theater in pricey black dresses doesn't seem as cool.

I hail from suburban roots. I was 18 before I got a job on my own merit and that's because I chose to leave the last job that practically got handed to me. I went to a private, Christian school where the cool thing to do on Wednesday nights was go to youth group.

I recently heard the the high schoolers employed at Breakthrough as mayors throwing around freestyle rap about LINK cards (food assistance, for those of you, like myself, who had no idea what that was 2 months ago). My youth group sang along to Butterfly Kisses.

I'm convinved I developed socially later than most of my friends. I didn't really care about makeup till I was 16 and didn't listen to anything on the radio but oldies till high school. In jr high and early high school I thought it ridiculous to even want to wear what was in fashion and my mom said I was born a century too late.

So should I be suprised that marriage is coming later in life too? Now that I think about it I'm not wondering about it too much. Marrying young does have benefits such as children knowing great grandparents and grandparents longer, but it wasn't for me. I think I'm finally figuring out what I want and more of who I am at 24. I'd hate for a guy to have put a gold band on my finger at 21 only to find out I had a complete change of career direction at 23 and felt called to leave out middle class life for an apartment on the West Side.

I think things are working out just fine, and as I hear my mom snoring one room over while she visits me here in the city I think, this is good. Thank you God, this is good.