You know how you always see “storytime” videos on YouTube? Yeah, me too. I love watching them and I have so many stories to share, but since I’m not at that point yet I thought I would do the next best thing and share a storytime post. This one is all about my long distance relationship and how we made it work. Grab a cuppa, have a read, and do share your experiences with me!
Once upon a time, a very long time I was in a long distance relationship with my other half. When I say long distance I mean long distance. Not an hour drive away from each other long distance, but more to the tune of almost 5,000 miles long distance! That’s a distance that can only be covered by a 12-hour flight (give or take) and the power of the internet. Yeah, it was that far.
Despite the distance, we knew it was love at first sight, and from the get go knew that we wanted to be together forever. The pesky ocean between us wasn’t going to slow down our love so we did what we had to do – we made it work.
When my other half and I met it we were instantly smitten with each other. He was on holiday in the US and I was living 800 miles from home in a new town and though I was dating I wasn’t necessarily looking for love forever after. We met in a very casual way, in a sports bar, but after seeing each other for the first time and spending some time together we were instantly hooked.
We spent time together for the remainder of his visit and got to know each other and dated like a typical couple usually does. From the get-go we knew that this was going to be a relationship to go the distance and even though the stress of his imminent departure was piling on, we pushed past that and committed to making it work no matter the distance.
We were so madly in love by that point that we knew that we couldn’t go long without each other. He booked a flight to come back to the States for a few weeks after leaving and I was so grateful to have my love back with me even if it was only for a long weekend. You know that you are madly in love if you hop on a plane and travel 12ish hours to spend a weekend with your other half, including travel time. There were a couple other weekend visits until we were able to spend another week together 3 short months after initially meeting.
Between the visits, we were slaves to our phones. We spoke constantly despite the 6 hour time difference, and were always either texting, emailing, or calling each other. It may have been obsessive but we knew that despite not being together physically at that moment we were going to be together even if it was only by virtual presence.
Fast forward a couple of months and I was making my way to this side of the pond in what was a time of many firsts – my first flight, not only international solo flight but my first flight full stop! My first time outside the US, my first time travelling alone, my first time in Europe, my first time using my passport, and many other little firsts.
I was so nervous about it all that I pretty much stayed in my seat throughout the entire flight! I was so petrified. Not of the flight, but of the novelty and not knowing what to expect. I’m a little bit of a control freak like that and the uncertainty really scared me.
After a beautiful holiday together I went back to the US and it was decided that I would be making the move over to the UK. Just like that. I am quite fearless so it wasn’t really a big concern. The decision was made and I was so chuffed to taking on a life I hadn’t expect a few months before.
There were a few more visits to the US on his part between then and the time that I made the big move, and under a year after we first met I felt all my earthly belongings, my family, and my friends and moved across continents to be with the person that I knew I was meant to be with.
So, how did we make it work, you ask? Well, it takes a lot of determination and confidence to be able to be committed to someone that you don’t get to wake up to every day. It’s also really important to have supportive friends and family as any naysayers and negativity can really take its toll.
Another very important aspect is the practicality to be able to afford to see each other and to be able to stay in contact no matter the cost. It may not be such a romantic aspect of it, but it’s such an important one.
At the end of the day, if you’re willing to go to the ends of the earth for each other then the day to day life becomes so much easier than you can expect. After all, you’ve conquered a lot just to be together in a long distance relationship so the little things really do end up seeming little.
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