On marriage

Met a friend who is getting married in November to this guy her family has found for her. We spent some time discussing what it is like to move into a new family, with a man who is just short of a stranger. I am 26, an age where all my friends have either settled down, or are getting married soon. Earlier, it used to be just family that pestered me with questions like 'When are you going to get married?', but now even friends, colleagues and just about everybody else is doing the same. And a simple explanation like 'I don't feel like it' doesn't not suffice. A long winded explanation that includes my dislike for an arranged marriage, not having a boy friend etc doesn't satisfy people either. 'You better get married before you get too old, else you will have very little choice left' is the normal reaction. Well, I am enjoying being single right now, and I am prepared for the repercussions of choosing at do so at 'my age'. This definitely gets people to shut up. For a while.