The sound of the alarm and the bright light of the sun pouring in through the window woke me up. For a few seconds, it seemed like a normal day. As soon as I stretched my arms out and I grabbed my phone, I realized what day it was. My phone was full of messages and missed calls.
“Aghh…” I thought to myself. “Here we go again… They must want to wish me a safe flight.” I turned my head to face the other side of the double bed. My best friend was still asleep. I got up and made some coffee, thinking that it was going to be a very hard day for me. As I replied back to some messages, I heard my best friend walking behind me. “Good morning” she said. I replied back to her while I handed a cup of coffee to her. We had our coffee quickly while we discussed the most meaningless things. I was getting an awkward vibe. I felt like we both tried to hide our sadness and pretend that nothing was wrong. After we finished our coffees, we headed back into the bedroom, to get ready.
There was this silence again. The exact same silence that existed, in the same room, my last day in the country, two years ago. There were open suitcases everywhere. I had to be quick and make sure that everything was packed, as we would soon leave for the airport. I had taken a step forward towards a new life, away from the past, chasing my dreams. However, I had promised that I would be back as soon as possible, and I had kept my promise… sort of…
Moving to another country, is very challenging. No matter how determined I was that I would visit within a year and nothing would change between me and my friends, deep down I knew, that this was impossible. New way of life, new school, new friends… I knew from the start how difficult this journey would be for me. Difficult and very challenging I’d say! I like challenges, though.
A call broke the silence. It was a relative that would take us to the airport. My best friend had decided that she would come with me to the airport, so we could spend a few more hours together. I wasn’t sure if that would be a great idea for the both of us but I guess, sometimes, you need to face the issue, instead of pretending that it’s not there. We got ready and we left. I clearly remember that we hardly exchanged more than two words. She was very thoughtful the whole morning. The time that I had to leave came, once again. We hugged, and before I made my way to the gate, we promised we wouldn’t let distance get in between us. We had done it again.
We knew how to make things work. Two years of letters, messages, calls, video-calls… We were not just one or two hours away. We were 20 hours, 9500 miles and an ocean apart.
The managing of long-distance human relationships is very challenging. However, no matter the big number of struggles, there are joys too. It can surely help you determine who your real friends are, or if your romantic relationship is worth waiting for. In addition, it shows you the difference between love and attachment and it creates stronger bonds.
Distance is a test of how far love can travel. There are real challenges and uncertain-ties of long distance relationships, but there are a big number of opportunities too. With your lives physically separated, there might be a feeling that your relationship is doomed. The time difference is also another huge obstacle, that can make it a challenge to stay in touch. You might feel tempted to give up a lot of times, but is this really a critical reason to destroy a bond?
If you get through the risks, a strong bond will be created. There might be a thousand times when you will feel like giving up, but the strong desire will keep you committed, as you know it’s worth keeping them in your life and fighting for them.
Distance can’t stop what is meant to be…
Author: Elle Karapanou
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