Long-distance relationships are not easy. At all.
I would know. My boyfriend and I have been dating for roughly two and a half years and the entire time we have been dating, we have experienced some sort of long-distance.
We met each other going to church retreats in the winter and church camp in the summer. We had become best friends. Then, to my surprise, the friend-zone was broken and we started dating.
He started college a month and a half later at Savannah State University, and I start my junior year of high school living in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Most people would see these factors as reasons to avoid commitment, but not us.
While he was away at college, I was only able to see him the handful of times he came home to visit. When he did, he still lived an hour away from me. The following year he decided Savannah State was not the place for him, and enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, after having to leave 9 weeks for boot camp. During that time, we were only able to communicate through letters. Once bootcamp was over, I had to face the fact that he would immediately be stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana.
My boyfriend was stationed in Louisiana roughly a year ago, and I have only seen him a handful of times since.
Everyone thinks they know about long-distance relationship because movies dramatize them to seem like a fairytale. It is no fairytale, it is my reality and I have found there is so much more to a long-distance relationship than what meets the eye.
You see the world obsessing over "Netflix and chill".
The closest thing that you will be able to get to that is Facetiming each other while you both watch the same movie at the same time. You gotta do what you gotta do.
You will get jealous.
You see your friends hanging out with their boyfriends everyday, and you become jealous of their ability to make spontaneous plans and adventures.
You will hear people complaining on social media about how much it sucks to be away from their significant other for a weekend. Try six months honey, then you can talk.
You'll also most likely get jealous of his coworkers and friends, just because they get to see your boyfriend on a daily basis and you can't.
You will find yourself crying yourself to sleep more than you thought possible.
It will not be because he hurt you, or something that he said, but just because you just miss him.
No matter how hard you try, your relationship won't be normal.
The one thing you will miss the most is the physical aspect. You can FaceTime each other all you want, but nothing will replace a good hug.
Until the time comes when you two can finally be together, you'll realize there is no way for your relationship to be considered normal.
Even if you've been together for years, you have rarely got to go on any dates.
It is sad, but a majority of your relationship will be been spent away from each other. You start to realize although you spend so much time apart from each other, you couldn't be any closer.
You can get through anything.
Once you are in a relationship like this for so long, you realize that if you can get through this, you can get through anything. It will hurt like hell to be away from the person you love for so long, but that will only make the time you can be together have so much more meaning.
You learn how to value time.
You will learn to value every second you have with him, because time is such a precious thing, and you are never granted enough of it. You can never take your time together for granted. Ever.
You may go to hell and back, but it will be worth it.
When you finally are able to run into his arms after months apart, all the pain will go away. You will realize that it is worth it.
If you really love him, you will do what it takes to make it work.
Although long-distance relationships suck...they can be the best thing that will ever happen to you.
