A common misconception that I’ve heard about long distance relationships is that the participants are settling—that for whatever reason, they can’t find someone to be together with in their own area, and so they settle for someone who lives not quite as close.
It’s my opinion that we’re doing the exact opposite—not settling, but rather reaching. Reaching for the person that you want to be with so badly, that you’d devote hours of your time to them, despite little to no physical contact. Reaching for the hope that someday you can be together and show to the world that it was worth the effort.
Who the hell thinks anyone in a long distance relationship is settling?
A long distance relationship—well, at least mine—is many times more work than being with someone in person. The amount of effort that I put into making sure my relationship with Joy stays healthy despite being 400 miles away is so much more than I would ever have to when we lived only a 5 minute drive from each other… I would never put that much work into any relationship where I was just “settling.” Fuck settling. Settling is for those who don’t have the courage to take risks, to give up what they have in the hope of finding something better. That’s not the kind of person who’s in a long distance relationship. People in long distance relationships have plenty of courage, to trust the other to be faithful despite the distance, to stay committed through everything, to make sacrifices for something that they believe in. Because I know I can’t find something better, and that’s why I’m making it work long distance.
(Source: notatallbenny, via mattywang)
