I am one of ‘the few, the proud’ who did not find love the first time around at Grove City and graduated without a ring by spring. But now I am planning to come back to campus for my class’s five-year reunion, and I am wondering if this might be the moment that I will meet “the one.” Stranger things have happened. But Homecoming weekend is brief – how can I maximize my time to find the man of my dreams during the events?
I will start by saying this: you and your peers are neither “the few” nor “the proud.” As a girl who is hoping to get her ring by spring, I know that cases of it are relatively rare. “Creekings” may be common, but they are not universal: in the context of Grove City, I would be overstating it if I said one in five were engaged by the time they graduate.
So, it is the people getting “creeked” before graduation who are “the few,” and neither party should be “the proud!” There is nothing wrong with finding the one in college, but there is equally nothing wrong with someone graduating without finding him or her!
Now, girl, I understand boy-craziness. I’ve felt it too. And for someone with the Grover mindset of always having your 20-year-plan at the ready, it can be hard for such an integral part of your life story – finding a spouse – to be such a mystery even after four years at a Christian college. But you can’t let it control your emotions or let it define this event for you. So, my first piece of advice is: don’t set all hope in finding him at Homecoming. If you go the whole weekend without finding anyone you might be interested in, that does not mean this weekend was a failure. It merely means it was not meant to be!
Secondly, I would encourage you not to be discouraged by your peers. Those “ring by spring” couples are probably on their third child already… and that can sting. Be happy for them, not envious. Know that your timetable for a family is different, and that’s okay – and that you are determined not to stay where you are!
Lastly, keep your eyes and ears open! If you talk to people, are friendly and pay attention to what they are saying, “strange things” can and might happen. Getting tunnel-visioned on thinking “he’s so cute!” can distract you from actually listening to him and make you awkward and appear rude (I say this from experience). So lock in this weekend!
Oh, and one more thing: please don’t hit on anyone who is a student or celebrating a graduation anniversary of above 25 years. Just thought that might be worth advising.
Auspiciously,
Dr. Love, MD
