How is a long distance relationship possible?

"Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad, because I miss you, I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss." - Unknown

Sticking with a topic on love, like my last blog, I want to address the idea of a long distance relationship. What makes a long distance relationship possible? I am in a long distance relationship, as some as you know. My girlfriend and I have been together for a little over 9 months and we decided that we weren’t going to break up just because we were going to college in different states. So far, it is going extremely well and I believe that it will continue to go well. Although it may be hard at times, it’s definitely worth it. But what keeps our love going?

You tend to see couples, even couples that have been together for a significant amount of time, breaking up before they go off to college, and I often wonder why people are doing this. I don’t know if it’s because they don’t really care about the relationship or they fear that someone will cheat, but I don’t understand it. It just doesn’t make sense to me that people that have spent so long together can just drop everything like that. I can’t imagine being able to do that. I guess some people can't emotionally handle the distance.

 With me and my girlfriend, our relationship has always been about trust. We both agree that trust is one of the most important things in any relationship, without trust a relationship is more than likely to fail. Just make sure you 100% trust each other; without that you have almost nothing. Sure we hit our rough patches, every couple does, but we work through them together. Every healthy relationship has problems, as I stated in my last blog. The strength of any relationship is not about how many problems you have, but how you deal with those problems and learn from them.

A way to make sure that the relationship doesn’t fall apart is to talk as often as possible. You have to continue to be a part of each other’s lives even though you can’t physically together. Talk every chance you get, because if you don’t you will definitely regret it. Another way to keep the “fire” alive is to see each other from time to time. You may have to wait a while to see each other in person, but it will be worth it when you finally do. An alternative to seeing each other in person is to video chat when you can. It’s always a great feeling to hear your significant others voice and see their face at the same time.

Before leaving for college I read other suggestions from people that had experience with long distance relationships. A common thing in everything I read was watching TV or a movie at the same time while on the phone. It sort of gives you the image of watching a movie together; the only difference is that you aren’t physically together. Apparently this works for some people, but I have yet to try it. You should also attempt to write hand written letters, guys especially. Hand written letters are a good way to try to express how committed you are to the relationship and to let your significant other know that they’re important.

The most important thing to remember is that it’s worth it. Being far apart is so worth it when you know that you will see each other soon. Not everyone can handle being in a long distance relationship, but if you can then your relationship will grow from it. You will be stronger as a couple and you’ll be able to handle almost anything together. So stay strong, you aren’t alone. Your significant other is always with you, in your heart. And know that you have a special kind of relationship.

-Eric Proulx