I had a strange feeling the other day when I saw that I only had one class scheduled on Tuesday, February 14th. I kept wishing I had more plans because I knew my Valentine would be miles away from me. I was under the impression that I needed to stay busy in order to distract myself.
Then, I realized that’s just plain silly.
My boyfriend and I began dating during our junior year of high school and have been together for almost three years. Our relationship has been long-distance for about one and a half years now, and this is our second Valentine’s Day apart. Being in a long-distance relationship is a lot like being single on Valentine’s Day, but at the same time, it’s not even remotely similar. While you do feel lonely and frustrated, especially because you’re so done with all the Valentine’s Day ads featuring happy couples holding hands, you can also be content knowing that you do indeed have a Valentine.
Unfortunately, that special person isn’t sitting across the table from you. As much as we try to ignore our longing for a cute Instagram photo in the arms of our significant other at a candlelit dinner while wearing a new red dress, we still feel like something is missing if our SO is not directly beside us on Valentine’s Day.
There comes a point when we need to say goodbye to all these dream-like ideals of Valentine’s Day that we see in movies and magazines, and instead realize the magic of our own situation, even if our love story is taking place in two separate locations.
So, to all my long-distance couples out there, here are 7 reasons to be happy on Valentine’s Day that you’ve most likely forgotten about.
1) Although it’s sad that you can’t speak to your Valentine face-to-face, know that every message you send to them will become sacred on this day. And you’ll smile whenever you get a new message from them, too.
2) You don’t have to deal with the bells and whistles of a typical Valentine’s Day date. Who can complain about a date when instead you can get cozy in your PJs, toss your hair in a messy bun, and snuggle up to your laptop in bed with your SO on the screen in front of you?
3) You can take comfort in knowing that someone will stop at nothing to get home in time for your Skype date. We all know the long-distance couple lives and breathes for these nights.
4) You’ll both do anything you can to pretend like your Valentine is right there beside you and have loads of fun doing it.
5) You get one-on-one time to talk with no distractions. For the entire day, you’ve been counting down the hours and minutes before you get the chance to speak to each other, so you can’t imagine even the tiniest detour or distraction.
6) You’ll smile at the thought that the person you’re missing is going through all of these same weird and confusing feelings every day leading up to this holiday, too.
7) And hey, who knows? Maybe your Valentine will pay you a surprise visit. You wouldn’t be able to pull a romantic gesture like that off if your relationship wasn’t long distance.
So, as much as you would give anything for a hug from your SO on Valentine’s Day, take a moment to think about how much more value this day has for you simply because the person you want to spend it with isn’t physically next to you. Recall those crazy thoughts that have been circling around in your mind about why this Valentine’s Day would be any less perfect.
Then, call your Valentine and laugh about it. #Valentine’sDay2017
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