“Can miles truly separate you from friends? If you want to be with someone you love, aren’t you already there?”
– Richard Bach
Whenever we think of long distance relationships, we think of two lovebirds trying to maintain their relationship from afar, but lovers aren’t the only ones who have to navigate long distance relations. Are they? When we say long distance relationship, it can also mean a relation with family or friends.
Talking about today’s scenario, almost everyone is staying away from home due to their own reasons- it maybe job, education or something else, but we are in a long distance relation with our parents. However, unlike our lovers whom we call 10 times in a day, there is never a moment where we remember them truly and call them. And then I remember this quote that no one is so busy that he can’t take out few minutes for you and this is just a matter of priorities.
Let us try and divide this long distance into three sections:
1. The first one of course, is the long distance relationship with your family,
2. then come friends and
3. then your lover.
Long Distance Relationship with Family
So how does long distance work with your family? Staying away from home is the most difficult part at the beginning. For a few days you will this newfound freedom. Love it, in fact. With no one to stop you, you can do
whatever you feel like. But suddenly you will feel like something is missing and that is when homesickness will hit you out of the blue! It comes in different forms- missing home cooked food or evening gossip sessions with your parents over a cup of tea or fighting with your siblings over a remote. Also, it really sucks when you know that your parents need you but you can’t be there.
You will definitely miss these little things. But at the end of the day, the sadness will be overcome a bit. Thanks to technology you have the option of video calling your parents. Albeit, teaching them that will also be a task! Long distance relationship with family has its own benefits though. You learn how to manage things without parents when you do not have anyone to rely on.
However, the best part of it is when you are traveling back home. Your parents will come to pick you up and mothers will always ask what you would like to eat. The most common things you will hear are-“kya banau khane mai tere liye? Kitni chutti mili? Ab agli baar ghar kb aega? Ye sb laane ki kya zarurat thi”. When you are at home I believe time travels fast. And on your trip back, you will already be planning the next visit!
Friends, forever?
Now let’s talk about long distance with our college friends or school friends. Once in a while we make time to talk about all the things we have done in past. When everything else is changing, it feels nice to hang on to friends from the past. We all definitely miss them at some point of time in our lives. It’s like “kaash ye yahan hote toh aisa hota”. The never ending plans to meet, to travel to different destinations and re-living all the moments we lived in our past.
It is with long distance friendships that we learn what faith really is. Yes, it surely sucks at times, long distance friendship, that is. Especially when you just cannot be there for your friend when she needs you the most. But then most friends use modern technology to be there for you. Also, this is the time you actually come to know, who are your real friends- the ones that don’t let long distance set you apart.
You’re my, my, my….Lover
And finally, the long distance relationship which you share with your lover. The one which may get hard at times. When you will want to see them but cannot. And when you see any other couples around you, you will definitely miss them. But when you are in a distance relationship with your lover, that means you have faith, trust and understanding. The great thing about a long-distance relationship is that it can help strengthen the bond that goes beyond the physical proximity between you and your partner. You have more time to talk to each other about yourselves and about each other. A long-distance relationship fosters communication and trust-building.
These two features are a must for any relationship, and they enable the relationship to run smoothly. Making plans to meet each other and the
happiness you have on your face when you see each other after a long while is just uncomparable. And when you finally do live in the same place, you appreciate each other in ways different from most.
Few things are really common about these long distance and the most important one is giving surprises, planning for birthdays, planning trips and many more. There is something unique about this long distance, it is special in its own way for everyone. It teaches many things. You:
- learn to appreciate the little moments just as much as the big ones.
- have no choice but to learn how to be your own individuals.
- can make each other smile in the simplest ways.
- take nothing for granted.
- truly learn how to talk to one another.
And many more.
In long distance relationships, every small thing makes a huge difference.
“ Some of the toughest things in this world are to really want someone and not have them around you.
Those are the times when you don’t know what to do. All you can do for is wait.”
– Tamara Louis
This is what long distance is about, it is not just about lovers.
– Megha Gupta
Read more about me here.
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