Slow down

Swee Teik & Mei Ying's Wedding Day
Originally uploaded by ~fly~ 飞(Busy)

Ok, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed that men and women have switched roles regarding their views on relationships/marriage over the last 10 yrs or so. It used to be that the men wanted to play the field, many times unbeknownst to their girlfriends and/or wives, until they were ready to be monogamous (which sometimes never made it to the agenda until late in the game) and the women just wanted to settle down with one man, get married and have kids immediately. Nowadays many women are more career driven and sexually empowered so they spend more time working and treating dating as nothing more than a distraction from the stress of their demanding jobs and a lot of men are looking to find Mrs. Right, marry her and have the "American Dream" of the white house with the picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog. Honestly, with the divorce rate being so high these days, I have to wonder when marriage stopped being a sacred union between 2 people who love each other and started being a business arrangement, a way to avoid child support, or the cure to boredom.
I have close friends who are married, living with their significant other, in a monogamous relationship with someone or single. We all are trying to figure this love/relationship out no matter what stage we are in. My married friends say the union is hard work (which I believe) but they believe the effort is truly worth it. The live-ins work just as hard as the married folks but its "easier" for them to walk away from the situation because they are not legally bound but they are emotionally and calendarically (you like that made up word dont you) invested, not to mention they've grown accustomed to having someone around, so they try to stick it out as well. Come to think of it I dont have many friends who have a boyfriend/girlfriend that they arent living with but the ones I know are generally blissful in their relationships but not sure if they are ready to take the plunge to live together and/or get married. Us single folk who are either playing the field or have put ourselves on the day-to-day injured reserve list (like myself) are just trying to meet a/some people who arent clingy, borderline stalkers or too aloof and unfeeling to the point where its a turn off and we dont want to be bothered.
As I've stated before, I'm a Libra and I crave balance in all aspects of my life...especially something as time consuming as a relationship. I am a fan of compromise but I dont want a yes-man; I'm looking for a man who can bend but at times puts his foot down and lets me know I cant have my way ALL the time. Bottom line: healthy relationships consist of communication, compromise and good old fashion hard work and dedication to your significant other. Slow and steady is the way people...no need to jump out the window on day 2 professing your undying love for someone you just met (which is the beginning of a stream of unhealthy actions). If this person is your soulmate, other half or whatever you wanna call it, you may know it on day 2 and thats cool but if its really real their status and your affection wont change so no need to rush. If its meant to be, they aint going anywhere.