Are We Ever Ready for Marriage?

Life's timeline: be born, grow up, go to college, graduate, maybe go to college again, find a job, work that job, save money, find a mate, get married, have kids, STAY married, spoil the grandkids, grow old. I dont know about you, I'm pretty sure NO ONE I know has followed this timeline! We all know that life happens, and that each of us has our own path to walk in career, in family, and certainly in love.I truly believe that each one of us wants to experience love. We marvel at our friends engagement rings and wedding pictures on Facebook. We coo over ultrasound, baby shower, and newborn pictures. It can feel like the well is running dry and that you'll be old watching game shows with your seven cats named after the 7 Dwarfs. But it doesn't have to be that deep. Beside getting married is a CHOICE in this country. We can date multiple people, find our soulmates, and get married when we're ready. But my question is, what makes one ready for marriage? Is there a checklist of some sort? And is anyone ever COMPLETELY ready for marriage?

 I polled some engaged and married people that I know ( and don't know) about marriage preparedness.

Of the selections presents, love was the top choice (90%) of those when deciding to marry someone. The runners-up pertained to feeling ready, whether it was the "right" age for the individual, finishing school, or  being financially stable.  The full survey can be seen here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XJYJGBG

I'd like to argue that no one is ever 100% "ready" to be married. But I also think that's perfectly fine. To me, it's part of life's adventure and it would be no fun if we had all the answers. I also think that because we may not feel fully ready shouldn't be a reason that we don't "tie the knot". I think that cheesy phrase "follow your heart" would apply. No, we won't always know what's around the corner, and unfortunately relationships don't always go the way we'd like, but that's life. Love openly, be honest, and put forth a great effort. That's all anyone could ask for!

 Amani moto.