There's 6,820 miles in between me and the people I love and miss the most. Not only is there way too many miles to walk, but there’s six hours keeping my night from their day, so even brief talks become difficult to have. This little fact alone makes staying close, literally, very hard but because I live in such an advanced world, I get the chance to stay connected through technology.

Now maybe we don’t have flying cars, like in the Jetsons, which I’m a little disappointed about, we do have things that give me the chance to stay connected to people near and far because when you have that many miles, keeping you from home, even the smallest thing is great. It’s wonderful knowing that, even if I’m not home, I can still feel like I am by watching my friends and family through Snapchat or following them on Facebook and Instagram. I can get to know about little details of their day but most importantly, I get to feel like I might almost even be there.

I’ve never been much of a, talk on the phone, kind of person but lately, lately I’ve never been more grateful for the power of Facetime and making phone calls. It’s almost as if my entire day is being made when I get to answer the phone to my favorite smiling faces and their lovely voices greeting me. It’s a moment of pure bliss and I owe it all to technology. I owe it to the people on the other side calling me, Facetiming me or texting me because without these small gestures, being this far away would be nearly impossible to endure.

I mean, how cool is it that I get to meet my friend’s baby, the day she is born, even though I’m on the other side of the world? I still get to see my little nephew, while he excitedly talks all about his day and the new cars he just got and knowing that there’s a wonderful guy, who is so willing to answer my calls, Facetime me throughout the day and stay connected, is enough to keep me smiling.

This doesn’t fully take away my disappointment in the whole, not having flying cars or robot dogs, but it does make me incredibly happy to live in this time. To know that I can travel around the world, share my story with people but still stay connected with the place I come from. And while it may not be the same, or even close, to actually being there to hug and kiss my favorite people, it does make being far a little easier to handle.