You may or may not know that for the past six months, I’ve been in an LDR (Long Distance Relationship) with my best-friend-turned-boyfriend from Arizona, Idan (“eee-dahn”). It was one of those things that when it happened, all our friends and family breathed a sigh of relief and said, “FINALLY!”
With me not wanting to leave my beautiful city of Chicago just yet, and him tied down in Arizona with his job, we’re going to be doing this for a biiiiiit longer. And since cohabitation isn’t very close on the horizon, I wanted to make a pro/con list to show why Long Distance Relationships aren’t so bad (and why sometimes they are).
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Pro: You get to live with your girlfriends (or by yourself)
I’m sure living with a boy is great and all, but nothing is comparable to living with one (or many) of your girlfriends. Bachelor nights? Uninterrupted. Bathroom? Clean (Not specifically speaking about Idan, here. He’s very neat). Clothing and accessories options? Doubled. I could go on forever about the benefits of living with friends, but you probably already know them. Isn’t it the best?!
Con: Learning to sleep without them after even two nights together sucks
It’s funny how normal things feel when we’re together for just a couple days. So much so that it feels really weird when we’re not. I usually have trouble sleeping the few days after a visit, only because I’m so used to having a warm body next to mine. It definitely takes some adjusting!
Pro: Facetime makes everything a lot easier
Doing long distance even five years ago would have been a lot harder than it is now. Luckily these days, I can press a button and see my guy in a matter of seconds. How amazing is it to live in such a technologically advanced world where that’s possible?!
Con: Goodbyes are so effing hard
Never have I ever cried in an airport as many times as I have in the past six months. Although I usually bounce back pretty quickly, the thought that I have to wait another three or four weeks to see him really sucks, and I transform into a whole new level of clingy that I never thought possible.
Pro: Surprises!
Idan and I always send each other little things in the mail. They aren’t necessarily big–I put a greeting card in the mailbox every so often, and once I had his favorite hot sauce shipped to him for no reason at all. He does the same with me… I mean, who doesn’t love surprises, especially in the form of mail?!
Pro: It’s SO exciting when you finally see them
When Idan and I spend the weekend together, we are just SO happy to be together that we live in the moment. We don’t play with our phones as much, or distract ourselves in other ways. Spending quality time together is packed into one weekend, and those weekends are extra special.
Pro: You learn to be in a relationship without leaning on the other person too much
I’ve always been an i-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t woman, and I’m no different in a relationship. Even though I have a boyfriend, I can’t always run to him with my problems. I’ve learned to lean on myself and solve my own problems, and so has he.
Pro: You can meet in other places and take vacations together
When we first started dating officially, we made a list of all the U.S. cities we wanted to visit. We prioritized, and said we’d make a good effort to visit these places while we’re doing long distance. So this month, we’re headed to San Francisco! It’s so fun to plan trips together (which we primarily do using Pinterest, Google Maps, and Google Docs, btw).
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It’s really easy to listen to the noise of people telling you, “long distance never works” or, “long distance sucks,” but I stand firmly by saying that it only works if it works for you. Whether you’re single, happily in an LDR, unhappy in an LDR, or in a regular relationship, I wish you nothing but all the love and happiness in the world.
