I’ve always heard that it’s about who you look for in a crowded room, but what happens when that person is 3 ½ hours away?
Long distance relationships are no joke. They take twice as much effort as a normal relationship. I guess I would know. I’m on year four of mine. I met James when I was 12 years old and I think I’ve been in love with him ever since. We’re that annoyingly cliché high school sweet heart couple and it’s all I ever wanted. But he goes to school in Ferrum, Virginia and I’m here in Boone. Things are a little different for us than normal relationships. Now don’t get me wrong, being in a LDR (long distance relationship) doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy college and do anything that you want to. You just do it a little differently.
You usually spend an abnormal amount of time on the phone. It isn’t because you’re self-involved and can’t put your phone down. You just miss them. When you don’t get to see your person everyday, you still want to feel like they’re a part of your day-to-day. So you call them when you get a good grade on a test, are eating alone, between classes, or because you just really want to hear their voice. Because at the end of the day they’re always in your corner, even when it seems like no one is. A phone call doesn’t exactly replace sharing that news to their face and being able to celebrate, but it helps.
I’ve done my share of partying, don’t get me wrong, but parties were either a big girls night out or just didn’t seem appealing. There’s not really an in-between. Girl’s nights out are one of the greatest life experiences you can have. I swear I have the greatest friends and going out to dance the night away after spending hours getting ready is the stuff movies are made of. Other than that, I just didn’t see the appeal in going and having random people grind on me and spill beer on my shoes and then going back to my apartment alone.
When you finally get to see your significant other again, it’s like a national holiday. There’s this moment when you finally get to be together where everything just calms down and you remember why you decided to do this together. Those are the moments that make it worth it.
Sometimes they miss events, football games, school breaks etc, and that’s okay. You have to learn to have a really good group of friends who fill your heart and soul with love and fire for life. I have been beyond blessed by mine. I truly cannot stress how important it is to surround yourself with people who love you and understand what you’re going through. It doesn’t seem like it would help, but it makes a world of difference. You can’t lock yourself away in your room and wait for college to end so you can be together again. You have to live your life for you. Sometimes in life, you have these moments of spotlight where you just want to see your person standing and cheering for you and your accomplishments. Just be sure to take advantage of the time you have when you’re together. It truly makes every laugh and every kiss mean so much more. You only get to do college once, so take advantage of your friends and what’s in front of you.
To quote Grey’s Anatomy, James is my person and truly my best friend, but loving him doesn’t mean I can’t love me and live my own life. I am my own sun and he loves that about me. God Blessed me with these incredible people and I couldn’t be more gratful.
Images: All of the pictures of James and myself were taken by our friend Hannah, her information can be found in the link below!