Destination: Expiration??

There are few conversations in life that send chills down my spine- and not in a good way.

The " Let's talk" talk: meaning, you will most likely be single following the 'talk'

The " What have you been up to lately?" talk: often done in groups of same-sex peers (i.e girl's nights or High School reunions). These talks are usually done to confirm the information they already know about you by Facebook stalking you.

The best, and more applicable talk for this occasion is the "Your clock is ticking" talk. That friendly reminder that our relatives give us when we have passed the age in which they were: A) Married, B) pregnant with you or C) had their first divorce.

My friendly reminders began once I entered my twenties but, seem to be increasing their frequency as the years progress. This can only mean that if I am unmarried by 30, I can forecast the talk to occur twice weekly.

My grandmother likes to remind me that " Women should get married between 20-25"

My grandfather once advised that " I better get a move on it before all the good men are gone"

My Father loves to indirectly advise that " I should be on the search "

Just because I am 25 and unmarried does not mean I will never be married. Granted, I understand that being the eldest in my entire family comes with a lot of pressure on being the first to go to college, get a good job and bear the great-grandchildren but, it does not mean I am going to be the end to the family lineage. Since when is there an expiration date on when to settle down?

Let's focus on the highlights of being unmarried past the "expiration date" such as:

1) Not gaining post marriage or pregnancy weight :although there is a high risk of 'party pounds'

2) Being easier to travel with: Weekend getaways are more doable

3) Having total control of your bank accounts: unfortunately this also means its only your debt

These 'friendly' reminders that my value is depreciating quicker than Toyotas made in recent years are not fun. However, since it is evident that more are to come it is always good to remember that the expiration date on any food usually has a week more than the date provided; There's still time.