The Seven Day Engagement

By Lisa M on February 2nd, 2010

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“I’m never getting married.”

“Love is overrated.”

“I don’t want to live with another person ever again.”

These are three phrases I cynically uttered multiple times after my divorce. I even surrounded myself by like-minded cynics, who helped me confirm that I didn’t need, let alone really want, a life partner. But as time passed after my divorce, and I dated more people, I did realize that I wanted a life-partner. Not a husband per se, but someone to be my partner in life. The problem was I wasn’t dating anyone who fit the bill.  So, I spent the two years after my divorce doing what I call detached dating.  I was a free woman and no one was going to tie me down! Until New Year’s Day, 2010, when after being engaged to my life partner for seven days, we got married.

From Christmas Day 2009 to New Year’s Day 2010, a span of seven days, my life changed in a way that I never would have imagined a year ago. On Christmas, my boyfriend and life-partner of one year asked me to marry him while we were in the backyard of his grandparent’s home in lovely Akron, Ohio. Seven days later, I was his wife.

My seven days as an engaged women were wonderful. They did not involve fretting over guest lists, dresses or invitations. They were seven days of blissful anticipation of making a verbal, public, spiritual and intimate expression of my love and commitment to my man.

Four days after my now-husband and I spent time together (we were supposed to be a vacation fling), he looked at me and said, “God, fine, I’ll marry you.” Granted that would have sent me running away any other time, but instead I looked at him and smiled. And I thought to myself, “I am going to marry him.”

I wasn’t scared and I didn’t want to run. I just knew.

The point is that sometimes you just know. Too often we are told to ignore our inner voice and rely on facts. But the fact was that my brain and heart knew something immediately, I had met my match.

So to all you cynical, single ladies who may secretly be wishing for love behind your tough-girl persona, never say never. Your life partner just may not have found you yet. But when he or she does, let love lead. You won’t be disappointed.

(Photo Via: Right About Me and Sean McGrath)