Whether anyone likes it or not, long distance relationships are a fact of life. It is unavoidable that we all have to be separated from our significant other at some point in time, even if it’s just for a few days. While being apart is never fun, there are some lessons you can learn and blessings you can receive that you wouldn’t if you were with each other.
For example, you become much more perceptive to the types of people around you and the qualities that these individuals possess. When you spend all of your time with the person you are dating, you tend to not focus much on others, whereas if you are far away from one another, you pay more attention to what the people around you are actually like. You might look at someone and see a characteristic in him or her that reminds you of your boyfriend or girlfriend, but, no matter how much you like this particular trait in your significant other, it never seems quite the same with anybody else.
These heightened perceptions of those around you also allow you to further appreciate the special person that you have in your life. Through all of the observations, you come to the decision that no one else can quite fill the shoes of your person. Even if you find that everyone else has incredible personalities and his or her own range of talents and abilities, it doesn’t ever seem to fit the same way. It really makes you stop for a minute and appreciate what is yours; it also reminds you of how much you miss the person that clicks with you and how excited you are to see him or her next.
When you come to these realizations, it can make waiting that much more difficult. But when you see each other for the first time in months, you feel as though you have grown that much closer, even while far apart. You have a newfound appreciation and thankfulness, and that is a wonderful blessing.