I’m curious to know if Dovid and Stranded (I sure hope her next name is going to be Engaged)are following their life story here in the coffee room. If so, good luck to you both and hope your dating career is a short one (no matter who you both end up marrying).
CHEERFUL, ask your parents/friends whoever is “pressuring” you to make certain choices a question that you want them to answer honestly, with no “but…” as part of the answer. The question is this: “Do you want me to make a choice that will make ME happy?” Once they say yes, then say “good—do you trust that I can make good decisions for myself?” When they say yes, then say, “excellent, that is what I plan on doing when trying to find the person that I (emphasis on I) will be living with for the rest of my life, and I need your support on this. It will make an already difficult process much easier, and you will be doing a tremendous mitzvah by being the supportive role that I need. And, you will get tremendous nachas from me too.”
Give it a try and let us know how the conversation goes….I’d keep the dating details to yourself though—-seems like we have enough entertainment here with Dovid and Stranded.