What 2 Years in a Long Distance Relationship Has Taught Me

The first email Breann ever sent me and where it all began!

On this day, 2 years ago, myself and this wonderful girl named Breann started dating at the age of 15. It all started from an email she sent me through GlutenAway asking for help on being gluten-free. At the age of 15, I would of never guessed this email from her would of led to so much more, I would of never guessed this person would of had such a big impact on my life, and I definitely would of never guessed I'd be sitting here 2 years later with this one person who I now care about so much.

Today, we are celebrating our 2 year anniversary together and seriously, it's been a crazy 2 years! Our relationship isn't like most relationships. We both have POTS, Celiac Disease, and many other illnesses, but we have never let that define us. The past 2 years has taught us both so much about relationships and about each other. It's showed us that age is just a number and that distance is just a number too. There's some things no one will really understand until they experience it themselves, and these are the things 2 years in a long distance relationship has taught me.



Patience -  It's not easy to go months without seeing your girlfriend or the one you love. To be separated by distance and not be able to hug them every day. To not know the next time you will actually be able to see them again. But the one thing that 2 years in a long distance relationship has taught me is patience. It makes you truly appreciate the time you have together because you don't get to spend the time with them that you would want too. For those of you that get to see your family, friends, or loved ones every day, cherish the little moments you have with them. Appreciate them for being in your life and appreciate the time you get to spend with them in person. For us, waiting is all we can do and patience is all we can have. But until we aren't separated by distance anymore, patience is one of the hardest things for us to learn and accept.


Understanding - Before meeting Breann, I always felt like an outcast. No one my age seemed to understand me and because of my illnesses, I always felt different from everyone else. Being a teenager, I never got the chance to really interact with people the way I wanted too. Most social situations revolve around food and my other illnesses made it hard to be social at all. Being in a long distance relationship really allowed me to understand someone on a completely different level, and to be understood on a whole other level as well. You're only left with talking, sharing stories, telling each other about your day. You're only left with really learning about that person and getting to know who they truly are. When it comes to relationships, distance doesn't matter. When you find someone who understands you and hears you for who you really are, that's something no distance can define.


Support - The one thing that has kept our relationship going is support. People may ask, "how do you support each other if you can't actually be there in person?" Or "what do you do when you're hundreds of miles away and can't help?" But support is something you really won't understand until all you're left with is words. I can't tell you how many times I've had the worst day and the one person that's always been there to make it better is be Breann. You don't need to physically be there to support someone you love. Using words and showing you care can offer so much more support than anyone could ever offer in person. Having that one person in your life who supports you, physically, but most importantly, emotionally, and mentally, is the best kind of support to have. Most of the time I am very positive and happy. But when I have days where I'm vulnerable and want to give up, I've learned it's ok to lean on others for support. Our long distance relationship has showed me that you don't need to physically be there to support someone you love. Most importantly, it's showed me that no matter how hard things get, distance can never separate 2 people as long as they have each other.


Final thoughts:
A long distance relationship isn't for the faint hearted. It isn't for those who need the physical connection every day because so much goes into it to make it work. I know some people may judge and say a long distance relationship isn't a "real" relationship, but to us it is. We always have each other to lean on and made a decision to be in a relationship 2 years ago. Distance can't define that. Distance can't define what 2 people feel for each other and how 2 people want to make it work. It's not easy and I would never wish it on anyone in the world. But I personally know I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world either.

As hard as our long distance relationship has been, It's allowed me to learn so much about myself and appreciate so much more in life. I know that at the end of the day Breann is the one I want to be with. Her support and understanding is something I wouldn't find anywhere else and I'm very grateful to have spent 2 years with her. I'm proud to have been in a long distance relationship with Breann despite the distance that separates us, because at least I know distance won't separate us anymore soon.

Thank you for reading! I hope this could offer a little view into our relationship and what it's like to be in one, long distance!