For those of you who don’t think long distance relationships work, give them a try. If you have strong feelings for someone, it may work out for you. I had to tell myself the same thing. It turned out to be the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.
In June 2012, I went on a cruise with my best friend and our families. We had just graduated high school, and we were ready for anything the future had in store for us. Being only 17 at the time, I had no idea what to expect. On the first night, it was around midnight and I couldn’t sleep. I decided to go sit on the pool deck and read a book. As I began to read, someone sat down next to me. He was your typical tall, handsome guy every girl wants to have. He said, “Hey, can I interrupt you for a minute?” It definitely wasn’t love at first sight, but he seemed nice, so I decided to hear him out. We talked for hours about our families, our interests and ourselves. I completely lost track of the time and eventually realized it was 4 a.m., so I needed to get some sleep. He walked me back to my cabin to make sure I was safe. When I got back, I noticed he gave me his number. The next morning, I decided to text him and see if we could hang out again. From that night on, we spent time together every single day. We got to know each other very quickly and didn't want it to end. On the last day of our vacation, we had to say goodbye. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see him again.
When we returned home, we were constantly talking. We talked on the phone every night. At that point, we decided to try to make our relationship work, even though we were almost 600 miles apart. A few days before my birthday, he decided he wanted to celebrate with me. So the day before my birthday, he drove from Ohio to Pennsylvania to be with me. My family was in shock because they had never seen a man who loved me as much as he did. They were just excited I finally found someone who I could be incredibly happy with. Currently, I’m 22 years old and we have been in a long-distance relationship for almost four years. There were times in college where being apart was difficult. If I felt sick or if I got a bad grade on an exam, I wanted him to be there to tell me everything was going to be OK. If I went to a formal, my friends had dates and I didn’t. Those were the sacrifices I was willing to make just because I wanted to be with him. While there are negatives to being in a long distance relationship, it allowed me to make my own friends when I started college and it allowed both of us to have our own separate lives. I think that’s partially why our relationship is still so healthy after all of this time.
When we were apart for two months and finally get to see each other again, it’s the best feeling in the world. I get to the airport and give him the biggest hug and tell him how much I missed him. That’s what makes it all worth it.
I moved to be closer to him after I graduated college. I was lucky enough to find a job that gives me the opportunity to relocate to his state. There were a lot of difficult times and even times where we were uncertain about our relationship. When you really care about someone, a long distance relationship is possible. He is my best friend, my karaoke partner, the one person I can be goofy with and my sunshine on a cloudy day. He is the person I turn to when I’m at my best and when I feel like giving up. He encourages me and pushes me to be the best I can be. I never thought we would ever be together to this day, considering the way we met. If you are considering dating someone who lives far away, try it. The worst case is that it doesn’t work out. If you don’t try it, you will never know what will happen. Of course, there have been difficult moments in our relationship, but if I could go back and change it, I wouldn’t. If anyone is still unsure, you may find your best friend or your future husband or wife. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend and I hope all of you do, too, one day. I hope I’ve restored some faith in anyone who’s reading this.
