Valentine’s Day is coming up and it can be fun, whether you’re celebrating Galentine’s with your girlfriends the day before or spending time with your partner the day of. On the other hand, being in a long-distance relationship during Valentine’s season can be tough, especially if you only see them once in a while. This is my personal experience of Valentine’s Day and a long-distance relationship in general.
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I live 1,013 miles away from my significant other. We see each other about five times a year, and when we do, it’s never for more than four days at a time. Flights are expensive and we have to grossly monitor the sweet spot times for cheaper flights. Even then, we don’t always see each other at the most convenient times. Sometimes I’m slammed with work, sometimes he has to work and is forced to cancel his trip, and when flights are really cheap, I may have midterms or finals. There’s always going to be complications when we’re trying to see each other, so I’m never expecting too much. That way, I don’t get too disappointed when our plans fall through.
This year, I won’t be seeing him on the week of Valentine’s Day. Sure, it might not sound like that big of a deal, but with a day so big on commercialized romance, I can’t help but feel a tiny bit sad. Being in a long-distance relationship is hard enough, but a month that’s surrounded around love and relationships can be a little difficult when you can’t spend time with your significant other. You try to make the best of it; maybe FaceTime for a little longer than usual but it will never be the same as actual face time.
I try to FaceTime my partner every day, even if it’s just for a little while. But it’s not always enough. We want the contact, we want more than just seeing each other on a screen. Holidays are hard, even if it’s a stupid one like Valentine’s Day. Even if we can’t see each other when we want to, we always try to make the best of it. My significant other is such a big part of my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way (well, except for the long-distance part). Last year on Valentine’s Day weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to see him for those couple of days. This year, I won’t be so lucky. I know we’ll try to make up for it during his next trip, but by then Valentine’s is over and it’s not always going to be the same. Yes, it’s so nice and I’m grateful when I can be with him, but it’s unfortunate when convenience isn’t something in our relationship right now.
With that said, we can still celebrate Valentine’s Day in many ways. We try to send little care packages for each other before and after to make up for the distance. Whether it’s something like tasty, like chocolate, or cute, like a framed picture, we try to make the best of our situation. We’re always in contact with each other, whether we’re texting or FaceTiming. As long as we know we have each other’s back, the distance isn’t a terrible problem.
When we do finally see each other, we celebrate all the holidays we missed together, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and of course, Valentine’s Day. It’s not the most ideal but it’s always amazing to be together and so worth the wait. I’ll always be grateful for the relationship I have, and a long-distance Valentine’s Day will never diminish that gratitude.