Long distance, that is.
When my boyfriend and I realized we were moving a few hours away from each other, we ignored it until the day I left. Both of us were running into it blindly, not knowing what to expect. After spending my freshman year in this situation, here are the things I wish I knew at the beginning:
1: You won’t like it.
This one seems simple and obvious, but it still won’t be fun to go through. Even if you go into it with high hopes of nothing changing, it will not be something you want to do. The day you have to say goodbye will suck and the couple days or weeks after that won’t be your favorite, so get ready.
2: Your promise to talk on the phone everyday will be broken quickly.
Even if your promise isn’t talking on the phone, chances are you made some promises to each other before you left. And chances are, some of them will be broken. Going into your LDR you probably felt invincible, but when you both realize that you have a lot of work to do and friends around you who you want to hang out with, some of those little promises might be pushed to the side. Don’t worry though: it’s not a big deal and other things will matter more.
3: It’s not as hard as you think it will be.
You probably thought going in it could be difficult to maintain your relationship the same way you did when you could always see each other. Luckily, it won’t be that hard. Your daily lives will cause both of you to be extremely busy and, even though there will be moments where you feel like your heart is aching, you’ll get through the first month and realize it wasn’t nearly as bad as you expected.
4: Seeing each other again will be worth all of it.
It’s true that distance makes the heart grow fonder. You’ll count down the days until you’ll see each other again, and when you do you’ll have butterflies in your stomach the same way you did on your first date, whether you’ve been dating for years or only a few months. The short time you’ll have to be together again will be exciting and undeniably happy. And while you’ll have to leave again when this visit is over, you’ll know how great it will be the next time you’re together.
If you believe in your bond with each other, a long distance relationship is a small price to pay for what your future together holds. Trust each other and keep in touch: you can do it!
Artist unkown