First off - I want to be clear that I absolutely do love my boyfriend. I am happy with him and we have a good life together. We support each other and my family like him. We had a few blips at the start, but we are pretty solid now.
I am 26 and he is 31. We have been together since I was 21. We have lived together for four of those five years.
I think 26 is still young - especially for city living. Lots of my friends are single and living the 'sex in the city' lifestyle. They go on all sorts of exciting dates, have boy drama, meet new people all the time, go out a lot. In a way - I think I am a little jealous of them. Perhaps I am sad that it looks like my dating days are over.
It is great being in a relationship and the safety that brings. But I do feel like perhaps I decided to 'settle down' a little young. It sort of saddens me, as we are both getting older/losing our good looks (!). When I was 21 and met dp, our careers were both full of potential. He is doing well but perhaps not to his potential, and seems happy at his level as I earn well.
At five years in, a few friends have joked that I have to decide if this is the guy forever.