I never gave too much thought to the prospect of marriage before. I guess I always assumed that it was an inevitable chapter in my life, like puberty or graduating from high school. In my mind, it was only a matter of time, and when I was young, I always imagined it would happen around the time that I turned 25. But as that day came and went so many years ago, I still remained secure in the knowledge that at some point I would undoubtedly meet the girl of my dreams and start a family. But now that I find myself in my thirty's with no girl in sight, I am having to contemplate the all too real possibility of staying a bachelor for the rest of my life. Possessing the calculating mind that I do, I couldn't help but consider the sheer math behind the shrinking odds of my getting married each year I get older. For the first time in my life I have to get comfortable with the notion of staying single. I've always been a loner at heart, but strangely enough, I never really anticipated spending my entire life as a singleton. It's a strange reality to be forced to confront in one's life. There are things that I may never get to experience, like being a father, and I'm having to come to terms with that. In the back of my mind I always knew that this was a distinct possibility, but now, it seems so much closer, so much more real. I know that no one can truly know what the future will hold--I may meet my soulmate tomorrow or next week--, and truth be told, men can wait much longer before marrying, but nonetheless, I can't help but feel a small amount of sadness for a life I may never know.