More often than not, I hear people splurging their opinion about how long distance relationships are a waste of time or that they never work. I tend to disagree, and my hopes are to relieve some of the stigmas of long distance relationships.
For one, I am a living example that long distance relationships do work. My current boyfriend and I of almost two years completed a long distance relationship in May of 2015. He went to college in Massachusetts while I completed high school, New York. He is a resident of New York as well, but he decided that he would try out a school in Massachusetts; eventually, he figured out it was not for him.
Many people told me that it would not work out, or that I am wasting my time. Of course, I disregarded their comments and opinions, and I followed my heart, and boy am I glad that I did. Yes, long distance relationships are very difficult, but there is something about them that makes them special. They show how strong your love could be or even how weak it is. It is the test to see this for yourself, and I am here to tell you that even though it was one of the worst things, it was also one of the greatest.
As many say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that could not have any more truth to it. You learn how to miss somebody genuinely and how to not take anything for granted. You also learn how to spend every moment you have to the fullest because when you do get to see that person, you obviously have a limited time with them until they have to go back to where they were, or you may not even get to see them; it all depends on the situation.
A long distance relationship also allows you to see how strong you are as a person. Many people are more strong and are able to endure more than they think. I did not know how strong I fully was until I was faced with the obstacle of the long distance relationship. It hurt not to see my boyfriend often, but it also made me stronger and taught me that nothing is handed to you on a golden platter; you have to work for it, and we worked the hardest that we ever did.
So if you're going through a long distance relationship, I hope this gives you a little motivation to push harder and harder to keep it alive. Long distance relationships do work, and in my opinion, they may be one of the best relationships couples could have. I think it is important to see how far your love could go, at least once in the course of your relationship. I hope that you never let anybody's negative comments about long distance relationships get to your head, and I hope that you do what makes you happy. Also, remembering to be yourself is something that I stress over and over again. I think it is one of the key elements to keeping the love alive because you will be respected even more by your partner for that, and if they do not, you may not be in the right relationship for yourself.
Remember to always keep going, it's so worth it in the long run. Distance is not always forever. Working hard is a key to achieving a goal, and if you are in a long distance relationship, make one of your goals to work toward finally being together again no matter what it takes.
