The idea of a perfect relationship is ingrained in a lot of people’s heads: cuddling, cute pictures, dates, holding hands and just generally being together. Even though none of these things mean that a relationship is good behind the scenes, a lot of couples still crave them. A lot of people still crave the closeness. Could you have all of the great parts of a relationship, just without your partner being right there?
Long distance relationships have always had a negative stigma behind them. More times than not, most feel it’s not worth it, that it’s a waste of time. The idea of staying with someone that you can’t be with is unappealing to many. There’s the idea that people in long distance relationships are settling because they can’t find anyone better who lives in the same area as they do. We can’t forget about trust. Or the lack of it. There’s this idea that long distance relationships are doomed from the start.
But, what if I told you that I’m in a long distance relationship and it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me?
I’ve learned so much about love, myself and life.
I would argue that my boyfriend and I have one of the strongest connections I’ve ever seen because we’re forced to talk. I don’t mean forced in a negative fashion, but because the majority of our face to face communication is through Skype/FaceTime, we have to talk about everything. We know the ins and outs of each other’s personalities and we’ve had more deep and personal conversations than I can count. So many people who aren’t in long distance relationships end up having issues within the relationship because they end up knowing nothing about the person they’re dating or they have never been put in a position where they have been forced to speak about their problems. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that we got our communication down, because we have to.
I won’t deny it’s not difficult to not be right next to each other daily, because it definitely is, but I know it’s for the better. The distance allows for both of us to keep our focus on building up our lives without being forced to make the decision of seeing each other or doing what we have to do. We’re both at an age where it’s hard to date: between college, internships, work and life in general. At this moment, it’s not the worse thing in the world to be in a position where we don’t have to worry about sacrificing something else to physically see each other.
My boyfriend is my best friend and I have no doubt about that. He’s taught me an incredible amount about life and the value of it, the ability for things to get better, the importance of a positive mindset and more. He’s the one who encouraged me to get out of a business major I hated and to finally pursue my dreams of being a writer. We laugh, we cry, we love each other and we hate each other (just kidding!) sometimes. I can’t even imagine my life without him and I don’t want to. I never believed in the idea of a soulmate until I met him. Love doesn’t care about distance and neither should I. Our relationship is the best thing that ever happened to me and he’s one of the best people to enter my life, all while not being right next to me daily. For now.
There’s seven billion people in this world, so why is the assumption still that the best person for you is right next to you? There’s so many people that you may write off because of their location. Why? For temporary distance?
A long distance relationship is not a death sentence, it doesn’t have to be treated like one. It makes the idea of seeing each other that much sweeter. I love my boyfriend with my entire heart and I know eventually we will be together every day and I would never give up our connection for temporary hardship.
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