It's Different For Everyone

I had the wonderful privilege of attending a friend's wedding in New York this past weekend.  She was married at a lighthouse, in a very intimate ceremony with close family and friends and looked nothing short of a Greek goddess.  As we sat in our seats, hearing the lake crashing against the rocks, and taking in the landscape where Heaven meets Earth, I thought about all the conversations we had had up to this point.

Without revealing too much, (this is called Confessions...not Snitchin'), I remember asking her if she was really sure about him.  They had not courted long at all before he popped the question, and like a good friend...worry was there.
"I know that I can't live him without him," was her reply, and I saw that day in her eyes, the same look that she carried on her face when she said her vows to her new husband last Saturday.  The look was one of urgency; one that said "I really can't live without this man. I love him. He is meant for me, I am meant for him." And lucky girl she is, because he had that same look in his eyes when he said his vows to her.
I found myself analyzing my own views. I am pretty traditional and watch a lot of ID television and Lifetime movies.  I believe you should court for a year to really know a person before even talking about all that stuff and I have been known to run a background check on a mofo. I taught myself, that this was the best way for you to really know them.
But I have now known at least 2 friends who have gotten married a year into knowing their beaus. At max, it was 6 months before the gents popped the question.  My goal is to get married someday, and I find myself wondering, could I be swayed to drop my year courtship rule if Mr. Awesome came
along?  I mean I am not getting younger, and I'd still like to have a child someday.
And then I thought to myself, "Where the hell did you get that rule anyway? Why is a rule, and who told you it was a rule?"

I don't know.  But I guess it's one of those things I call myself using to protect myself from potential heartbreak and in truth, we all have things like that to preserve ourselves.  The problem is that in trying to protect ourselves, we often build walls so high that we can't see what's out there and no one can get in.

As I watched my girl and her man, say "I do", I realized that the only reason we were all sitting there, was because they both decided see what was on the other side and not be afraid of getting a little bumped and bruised. As the saying goes, "When you know, you just know." And there's no set of rules that fits every scenario, because love happens differently for everyone.