Ray and I have been dating for just over 11 months now and we spent our night together ~11,110 km apart. Fortunately, I will be home before our 1-year anniversary… this fact makes me twice as excited to come home for the summer. The last month has made me extremely weary and homesick and I feel I have faced so many great and challenging things that I can only share what I have learned thus far.
Things are constantly evolving and relationships are no different. The constant change in our lives is inevitable and the most we can do is just roll with the punches! Open and constant communication is what makes the development of any relationship as smooth as possible. Many of my friends and peers are surprised that despite the 9-hour time difference Ray and I are able to Skype at least twice a day… every day. As the year went by, we quickly discovered new ways to make our relationship feel closer to home.
Doing what we would do if I were home has made this time apart not only bearable but also fun and romantic. The craziness of school and work added to the time difference has limited communication during the day but I love nothing more than waking up and falling asleep to the man I love. We fall asleep to stories, we have date nights, movie nights, and wake up to each other (and sometimes take the occasional nap together). It seems that as time progresses and our relationship develops we have found a way to keep ahead of the hopeless despair often associated with long-distance relationships.
There is so much pressure on this kind of relationship that both people need to be incredibly dedicated to making it work; as emotionally draining as it is at times, I am fortunate that this is the case for me. I couldn’t ask for a better man to support me when I need it and to openly talk to when I am feeling down. Many people will make assumptions, predictions and ultimately believe that as sweet as you may be, the relationship just won’t work out because of distance…I say fuck convention…Its working so far and I don’t see that ever changing.
<3...
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, long distance relationships are the strongest kind out there. I don't think you've really loved until you know what it's like to ache for someone everyday and realize that, in the end, the two of you are obviously invincible and can stand up to anything together. Not to mention you really and truly get to know the person, dig deep--you don't always get that opportunity by holding their hand
Congrats on the almost yearversary~
this is so much like my ldr. i spent 3 years in such a relationship until it ended. we got married!! :):). i still sneak online to read on other ldr'ers experience so i can reminisce.
ReplyDelete@Emily you are so right dear, in such relationships, you get to "know" the person before you actually "be" with the person. after 3 years of an ldr, my wife and I rearly talk as much and when we do, we frequently recall "old times". such things like cheap international calls from mobile, skype, public chat rooms and the post office really helped our relationship. You have to be strong and respect your partner as well, after that, it's smooth sailing.
This is my life. I have been with my boyfriend Sajith for almost a year as well. Last summer I lived in Egypt with nobody I knew trying to learn Arabic. Although a short time, that time showed me that we could do anything. Unfortunately I had no skype and usually no Internet for days but we did what we could. Today we are happy yet I am dreading the year I will be without him while I am in Spain and he is still here in the US. Reading this was super inspirational! Congrats and never give up on love.
ReplyDeleteAll three of you have really inspired me and have made my day. Thank you for sharing and understanding that convention isn't the only way to make things work. <3
ReplyDeleteLove can conquer all. I had a crush on you at Transfiguration, that is all.
ReplyDeleteJust ran across this post while frantically Googling advice about long distance relationships. I'm about to start one and I'm so frightened it's actually kind of ridiculous, but the few paragraphs you've written have somehow made me feel a lot better! Just wanted to say thanks.
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