It's the forces of the universe that provide the questions I am asking myself and, in turn, you this morning. My telescope is trained on Venus and Mars again, trying to work out what has changed in the planetary orbit resulting in all my friends in relationships feeling the pressure of engagement and marriage.
To be more accurate, it's my male friends that are feeling the squeeze to turn their seemingly perfect relationships into something more concrete.
I don't think that I am wrong in remembering things being so different in the not too distant past. Back in the UK I had many friends who were in loving and committed long-term relationships, where property was jointly purchased, along with dogs and cats, with albums full of photographic memories of good times shared.
Engagement and ultimately marriage were spoken of as some icing to add to the perfect sponge cake at some undisclosed time in the future when both parties felt it would be a great thing to do. A great thing to do, I might add, for the couple themselves – not to appease family or the expectations of others.
Don't misunderstand me, I have walked that path to matrimony once before and when I realised that I had found the person that seemed so much more special than all the rest, I took the plunge exactly 12 months after meeting. This lasted 10 glorious years until it sadly came to end, and despite the pain and hurt of it passing, I do not rule out the possibility of doing it all again once the emotional smoke fully clears.
I share this with you to show that I bear no ill-feelings towards the institution of marriage and it doesn't cloud my judgment on how significant a decision it is when people decide to make that choice to make a perfect relationship more official. I just find myself somewhat surprised at the increasing pressure that modern couples seem to face to make that leap much more quickly than I recall.
I hope that, outside of cultural differences that exist between us, you can indulge my inquisitive mind on the basis of all of us just being people.
Maybe one of the major differences is that I am now experiencing this shift while living in Dubai rather than London. And I have to be honest, it seems that it's the girls who seem to be the most demanding of relationships needing to evolve from the togetherness they share, on to the next level. That commitment of the words being said and rings being placed on fingers has started to loom like a spectre… to the point where it hangs like an ultimatum.
I understand that the male to female ratio in Dubai is 4 to 1 in favour of men, so statistically the girls would seem to hold the cards and have the better share of options. Even if we rule out 50 per cent of us guys as "wrong 'uns" that still leaves a 2 to 1 mathematical advantage. So what is driving this new force?
I think that the celebrity-obsessed media has at least something to do with it. We are constantly fed the ins and outs of the rich and shameless… we all watched the seemingly perfect relationship between Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt crumble once Angelina entered the picture.
The irony of Mr & Mrs Smith was not lost on us. (Although the plot and point of the movie was!) So maybe that sends out all the wrong signals... If it can happen to the Golden Ones, what hope is there for the rest of us?
I have run out of space to expand my theory any further. My last words to both the boys and girls out there would be to fully appreciate what you have and make sure you put all your effort into maintaining the magic.
The one thing that all of us need more than rings and flowers is 100 per cent trust. If you have that, then you have all you need for a wonderful future.
