You're My Exception

I just got through watching He's Just Not That Into You and have to say I'm a complete 'tard. Yeah, this is a romantic comedy but it really isn't. I mean, there wasn't a lot of that ooey gooey love stuff and yet I still feel all mushy inside. I'll even admit to a pathetic-sounding whimper and a sigh but don't let that get out.

In a less than stellar imitation of Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire (I know Cruise didn't say these exact three words but they're three words nevertheless), Justin Long whips out this line:

"You're my exception . . . ."

Ok, ok, I guess the impact isn't the same unless you've seen the film and are a complete 'tard like me. But, these three simple words got me thinking about whether or not I'm the exception or the rule to this thing called love.

More and more people are waiting till later in life to settle down, so maybe my singledom is the rule these days. But will there ever be a time when the need to be in a relationship will arise sharply and I'll want to be the exception? If I wait too long, will all the chances pass me by leaving me without exceptions? Will there be a time when love becomes the rule and not the exception? Is this love thing something I should actively be pursuing, like the Gigi character in the film, regardless of if it's the exception or the rule?

So now what's a girl to do? It seems as though there are fewer and fewer options out there to find love in our island home. Case in point, the increase in online dating, speed dating and even a male auction (yes, for charity but still). I can only assume that as I get older, these opportunities will all but shrivel up and disappear.

But the things we'll do for love have absurdly increased over the years and almost do not seem natural anymore. Is that what it takes to find love? Putting yourself out there and letting it all hang loose - is that the exception or the rule?

Also, with the odds seriously skewed toward divorce it's hard to even consider marriage as a viable option these day. According to divorcerate.org, studies reveal the divorce rate in America for first marriages is 41%, second marriages is 60% and third marriages is 73%. With those kinds of odds, should marriage even be in the picture? Maybe love is all you need?



But, of course, this brings us back to the question of where do you find love? Is finding love the exception or the rule? Is online dating and speed dating the exception or the rule? Is even meeting a suitable companion the exception or the rule? Is the active pursuit for love the way to go or do you just wait for it to happen? Exception or rule?

Even after all of this, I'd stil like someone to tell me that I'm his exception to the rule.