My boyfriend and I have always been each other's biggest supporters. So, when an amazing opportunity that required me to move away fell into my lap, it was no exception.
My boyfriend was nothing but excited, proud, and supportive from the moment I got my offer to participate in this four-month adventure. However, this opportunity is one I have to do alone which makes our already existing two years of long distance even longer (in distance and in time). But, with this experience, I can live a life without resentment toward a missed opportunity that I have wanted since I was a child. And, I could not be more grateful.
One day, he looked at me and he said: "How is this experience going to benefit us?"
He wasn't asking to be hateful or to break my spirit, but to remind me of the bigger picture. And that is when I remembered, I am doing this for me to be happy with myself because without self-love how can I love someone else?
I remembered that this experience is a literal dream come true and if I would have turned it down I would have grown to resent myself, him, and the missed opportunity. I remembered that this is a lifelong experience that will lead to memories that will forever fill my future and push me farther as an individual than I could have ever imagined.
As I move forward with this process and begin the paperwork, the packing, and the mental preparation, I realize that this is the moment he and I are going to build stronger than ever. We have always been only two hours apart, but now we will be across the United States from one another. Am I mentally ready for this? Not at all. Is it going to be worth it? Hell yes.
What kind of relationship is it if you aren't consistently encouraging the other to be their best and to take advantage of opportunities of a lifetime?
I can easily tell you. It's one that doesn't want the other to succeed and be happy. I know, that's a strong and harsh statement. However, I say this only because, if you love someone, you should want them to go out and do big things no matter where those big things are located.
You should take pride in their achievements and show them off like you were apart of them earning it. Because you were, for the support and encouragement throughout the entire opportunity. Without you encouraging them to take it, they may never see achievements like this.
True love isn't about holding your partner back for them to be closer, it's about you telling them to take the dreams they almost turned down for you so they weren't so far. I'm lucky enough to have a boyfriend who supports me in all of these ways.
So yes, I am moving across the U.S. without my person, but my person encourages me to move every single day. I'm moving toward a better life, a better me, and a better adventure than the one before. Soon, we will be making these big strides as a unit. Until then we push each other not away, but toward our happier selves to be happiest as a whole.
