For years, long distance played a far from positive role in my life. Distance (and expensive airfare) is what drove me away from spending Christmas and other holidays with my wonderful extended family. Distance is what made me lose touch with friends from my early childhood. Distance is something I wished to avoid at all costs. I avoided even trying to make some relationships work because if there was even a mention of possibly having to do long distance, I wanted nothing to do with it. Distance was always a con to me, a reason not to be with someone or not to get to know them better regardless of how great they seemed. Despite all of this, however, I took a chance a few months ago on a relationship that would be long distance from the start, and I haven't looked back since.

Long distance is by no means easy, but no relationship is or ever should be. My boyfriend and I have agreed that when we argue, a lot of it is heightened by the fact that we're so far away from each other. We have to work to fit one another into our separate schedules, and sometimes that, along with factors of outside stress, just get to us. This doesn't mean all our fighting on distance, however. Anyone in a real relationship knows that arguing with each other is just part of human nature. No one in a long distance relationship can honestly tell you that they get along perfectly when they're together -- fighting is inevitable whether you're living together or on opposite sides of the globe. Arguments in a relationship are hardly ever fixed by physical closeness, and it's important to keep this in mind whenever it feels like all you do is argue. Distance can escalate fights, but it should never be the only reason why you're fighting.

It may be cliche, but getting to spend time with your significant other makes all the pain and difficulties worth it. Whether it's visiting for a weekend, or maybe going on vacation, finally getting to spend time together makes all the arguments, late night calls, and low-quality video chats worth it. There's always this sense of making the most of your time together really stand out. This doesn't necessarily mean doing something crazy or going somewhere expensive, but spending this time with your significant other makes you really value their presence in your life and the strength of your relationship in a way that is different than seeing them every single day.

Finally, I have learned that setting goals for the relationship in terms of time help so much, but a surprise or two never hurts. I'm someone who likes to plan ahead and so planning when we're going to visit one another or hang out during breaks always gives me something to look forward to. However, sometimes it's even more fun to be spontaneous. If you're free, book a ticket or get in your car and surprise your significant other! It's always great to see them, but the added element of surprise always elicits an awesome reaction.

I always thought that you needed to be with someone physically, seeing and being with them frequently, in order for a relationship to go well, and viewed successful long distance relationships as a rarity. My parents had done it for a little while years ago and my best friend has been in a long distance relationship for the last few years. I was firm in the belief I would never be able to handle the kind of stress long distance as well as they did because I didn't think I would find anyone worth going through that kind of stress and difficulty for. Then I met my boyfriend, and my whole perspective on distance did a complete 360. So I'll leave you with this -- when you know someone is worth it, you'll KNOW. That doesn't make the distance easier every waking hour of every day, but it helps during the tough times. Distance isn't great, but when you find someone who is, it makes it a million times easier to deal with.