Analyzing and Persevering

I went to a bridal shower last night. I've been to plenty of those in my life, but this one was different. I had never met the bride-to-be before (but my friend knows her and didn't want to drive for an hour by herself). And I was able to learn a lot about the bride-to-be and the groom-to-be by the way that the ladies at the bridal shower talked about them and by the gifts given. But especially by the reactions of the bride-to-be to each gift and piece of advice. She was so ready to listen, so thankful.
And that made me realize things in my life that I have neglected to nourish and cultivate. Things that will bring me closer to being more capable of maintaining a sustaining romantic relationship. (Wow, that sounded smart, but really wordy. Sorry!)
It'll be a while before I get married, and it's because of things that I need to look at and kind of change in my life. I know that I will one day make a good wife and eventually mother because of the encouraging words of friends and family. But I need to learn how to make certain things work in a relationship before I take the next jump.
It's been said many times by family and friends that when I do get married my husband will most likely be my one and only boyfriend. They're probably right. I analyze every little thing. I understand or take a pretty good guess at what will come next in a relationship, and I'm usually either pretty close or right on with my guess. So, I work through a relationship pretty quickly, which I know can be bad, especially in a dating relationship where you only know a little bit about the other person in the beginning.
So that's the biggest thing I'm trying to change in all of my relationships.  Isn't it easier to learn about relationships by being in a relationship? Especially a romantic relationship?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, I've never been in a romantic relationship before, ever. I've been close but then I got scared and ran in the other direction.
I'm not sure where this post is going anymore....
I guess I'll just end here. But one final thought:

"Eighty percent of life's satisfaction comes from meaningful relationships."

- Brian Tracy