It’s that time again where dogs run around in circles on the Union Green, people are stepping out of their rooms in Birkenstocks and you are reminded that there are more than 50 students that attend Seattle University. Yes, I am describing what some call a time where their bodies reject nature, otherwise known as, Spring.

Along with all the flowers, love is also blooming at this time of year, so much to the point where the term “ring by Spring” has been coined and is remerging. Traditionally, “ring by Spring” has been tied to religious schools. College seniors get engaged in the Spring and then married shortly after graduation.

Don’t worry, we are progressing so much that people are getting engaged before their senior year. Scrolling through Instagram, almost every week since our calendars have told us the Earth has completed another fourth of its trip around the sun, my friends and peers have been posting engagement photos.

Just for reference, I am 20 years old. I don’t know about you but, I can still barely commit to my first choice when I’m waiting in line at the Bistro, let alone committing to being with someone for the rest of my life. I understand that I’m probably just indecisive but, how do you know that this person you’ve dated for maybe a year or two, is the person you wouldn’t mind seeing 50 years down the line, bald and saggy?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics, excluding data for California, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota and New Mexico, the number of divorces have increased by over 26,000 from 2015 to 2016.

I’m not trying to put a damper on engagements, marriage and love but, maybe there is some value in waiting and not marrying so young. College is a time where we are not just learning about Plato and how to use math in the real world but, it is a time to learn about ourselves as people. We are still developing as young adults and learning what we truly value and believe in.

So instead of purchasing a rock or accepting a rock in honor of the warm weather, take a romantic walk in those Birkenstocks with your significant other and share a scoop of ice cream at Cal Anderson park instead.

—Hunter Uechi, Staff Writer