"No, my boyfriend doesn't go here." Just hearing the words come off my tongue when trying to explain that my boyfriend goes to a different college, I already know the kind of response that is coming my way: *sympathetic tone* "I'm so sorry. That must be so hard." Long distance relationships notoriously have a reputation of being difficult, painful, and ultimately not working out. Those things may be true in most cases (at least the first two) but what they are missing is that long distance isn't always a bad thing.

There is a unique and special component of being a part of a long distance relationship that is so often overlooked. The way you love each other is so much stronger. If your experience is anything like mine, you're used to seeing each other every day. Now you have to go to maybe twice a week with two completely different schedules. There is an adjustment. A lot of times, it sucks. You wish they were there to go to class and get coffee with you. And not miss any of your cute outfits. And be the last person to see before you go to bed. It may sound silly, but all the little things you took for granted are missed so much. But now, you get something else.

Now you get texts throughout the day telling you how much they love you.

Now you get the first hug after a few days of not seeing each other for awhile and never letting go.

Now you get Thursday morning "coffee" dates over FaceTime that you wouldn't miss for the world.

You get tears flowing from not wanting to say goodbye.

You never knew the capacity of how much you could miss and long to be with someone until you had to wait.

Although it may see as though you're missing out on so much, finally getting to be with them is so special when it's not the norm anymore. If you are experiencing this now, I encourage you not to think about what you're missing... think about what you're gaining. If you do end up being the ones for each other, how much sweeter will it feel to spend every day and night with someone you waited so faithfully for? Don't settle for someone just being around and "easier" to be in a relationship with. Be with the person who makes your heart light up, and wipes away your tears on hard days. Someone who would never give up on you, and would do anything to be with you. Someone who loves you with everything they have, and if you were on another planet, it wouldn't make a difference to them.

Don't let that guy go. Embrace the distance. Find new ways to keep loving each other through it, and one day, it will be so worth it.

Trust me.