DR. WALLACE: I'm a girl who will be 18 in two weeks. While many of my girlfriends dream of planning the perfect career, finding the perfect guy and having the perfect family, I instead drift into daydreams of being in a wide-open space somewhere out in nature.

I do well in school and have a part time job as well, but what really makes me happy is to spend a day or two out on vacation in the wilderness somewhere — the more desolate, the better! Some of my friends even think I'm crazy when I speak about this out loud, and in fact one said I'm a "freak"!

Am I really off-kilter here, or is my desire natural? I know for sure there are only a few of my friends and acquaintances who think like I do on this topic. Why do you think I dream of getting back to nature so often? — Girl who loves wide-open spaces, via email

GIRL WHO LOVES WIDE-OPEN SPACES: You likely find nature very calming, and you truly enjoy the feeling of escaping all of the hustle and bustle of city life, school, work and perhaps even social media. You're somewhat of an old spirit, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You are decidedly not a freak, rather you're a naturalist with the ability to see and appreciate nature and all of her calming beauty and wonder. People go on vacation all of the time to get away from their busy lives, but too often they fall right back into their old routines without giving nature a second thought.

You, on the other hand, have not only the appreciation for nature but the desire to soak it up as much as possible. I suggest you seek out hiking clubs, blogs and websites where you might find like-minded people. Enjoying nature alongside the friendship of another individual who sees things the way you do would make for great opportunities to spend even a little more of your free time enjoying the great outdoors.

I JUST DON'T FEEL THAT IT'S MY TIME YET

DR. WALLACE: I'm 19, and my boyfriend is 22. We've been together for a little over a year and we get along pretty well. Things are not perfect but there's certainly not anything that has occurred so far in our relationship that would cause me grave concerns.

I'm attending a community college for cosmetology, and my boyfriend works in construction. He recently has told me that he wants to get married, but at this point in my life I'm not so sure yet that I want to. It's nothing against him. It's really more about the present circumstances in our lives, and I just don't see the rush.

My parents are divorced, so that has always given me pause whenever I've even briefly thought about the concept of marriage. Am I being overly sensitive perhaps because of this? I realize that everyone might not think the way I do, so it makes me wonder if my thoughts are out of the mainstream. Right now, I feel that it's too early for me to commit, but maybe I should just follow his lead and dive into marriage? What criteria should I consider when the issue is something as serious and potentially long term as marriage? — Not sure yet about getting hitched, via email

NOT SURE YET ABOUT GETTING HITCHED: When it comes to marriage, I'm a very big believer in the philosophy that each individual should feel not only extremely comfortable with entering into a marriage but very excited about the opportunity to enter into a highly desired union.

Each individual should make up his or her own mind and do so at a comfortable pace and time of their choosing. Nobody should be coerced, manipulated or pressured into a marriage with anyone.

At your age, it's my opinion that you should indeed take your time, as you have the bulk of your life ahead of you at the age of 19. Listen to your own inner voice that is telling you for now that you are comfortable with things as they are. Be upfront with your boyfriend so he knows exactly where you stand. Keep an eye on his future behavior because, if he truly loves you deeply, he'll likely understand and support you while he continues to love, respect and cherish having you as his girlfriend. However, if on the other hand his behavior changes in any way that indicates he wishes to continue to pressure you to get married, you might find yourself in front of a potential red flag warning sign. I'm not saying this is the case with your boyfriend, but I'd be remiss if I didn't point this out to you just in case.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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