When I was graduating high school, one of the most frequently asked questions was what would happen to my relationship once I left for college. Even though my school is only about an hour and a half away from home, most people thought that the distance would be too much and I would end up heartbroken. The answer seemed simple; we were going to make it work because I don't know what I would do without him. The odds of marrying your high school sweetheart have always been low and most people wondered what the point of staying together was. “You have so much life to live,” “you don’t need him,” and “you need to experience life by yourself” were answers to my response that we were determined to make it work.

Thank you for your advice, but I honestly don’t care.

Truthfully? I was terrified. I had no idea what college would be like and how dealing with a long distance boyfriend would fit into the picture. Between soccer, classes, clubs, homework and sleep I was worried that my time would be spread too thin. I let people’s opinions of my decision get the best of me and run wild. What would happen if we grew apart and things didn't work?

Despite the fears, I ventured to college clinging to the hope that we would beat the odds and knowing that no matter what happened I would always love him. For the first couple of months, things weren’t as bad as people made it out to seem. Going weeks at a time without seeing each other was hard, but FaceTime and texting made staying in communication easy. Handwritten letters were frequent and goodnight calls were a given. We might not be physically in the same place, but nothing else had really changed.

Things seemed to be going fine, but I realized as time went on it kept getting harder and harder. College was nothing like it seemed. I was having a hard time making friends, classes were extremely hard, and I felt like I was all alone. Meanwhile, he was at home, having the senior year he deserved. It was hard to feel this way. Shouldn’t I be happy that he is having the time of his life?

We were forced to talk about the hard things and bring all of the feelings to the front. It was impossible to hide what you were feeling because it just made everything ten times worse. Talking and communication became the biggest part of our relationship. No topic was off limits and we were closer because of it. It was crucial that we made time for each other. Without being at the same school we needed time each day to talk and be together (even if it was through a computer screen). Most people don’t want to put forth that sort of effort to keep something going.

Now that almost an entire school year has gone by I can say, with certainty, that it is entirely possible to keep a long distance relationship strong and it can even be a good thing. There are no short cuts, there is nothing that can hide, and because of it, you become stronger. You are able to grow in yourself and find yourself with someone always there to talk to, but not holding your hand every step of the way. You feel like you are away living on your own but always have someone there cheering you on and supporting you.

We are still young, and part of being young is having fun and finding people to share experiences with. The ability to make a relationship strong enough to withstand distance is an old-fashioned practice. It takes a lot of work and understanding, even when things are difficult. Being able to get through the hard times without giving up has made us so much stronger and the distance has only brought us closer together. Most people might not agree, but distance could be a blessing in disguise.