College and Long Distance

So, many people have been talking about their para-social relationships. How awesome it is to know J-Law through Twitter. How close they may feel to Ryan Gosling through magazine articles (I picked these too examples because I find them to be great people but that’s beside the point). One relationship I’d like to talk about, at least a little, is my relationship with my boyfriend.

“A Long Distance Affair” by Abigail Sullivan Moore is something I could differently relate to. I’ve been dating my BF, Drew, for three and a half years. Our relationship began the summer before my senior year… when he was already in college. Yeah, we met in high school and didn’t start dating until a few years later. We decided to do our best to stay in contact and keep the relationship going until I could join him at school (I ended up choosing Ball State, the same school Drew was at. It is a great school for psychology, my major).

We relied heavily on texting to stay in contact. I got Skype, like the article mentions, and that helped greatly. We hung out as much as we could when he came home for visits. However, when I finally made it to BSU Drew decided to put education on hold so he could work. So, now I was at BSU and Drew was in our home town. We did our best to stick to our same routine. It was, is, really hard.

My friends often talk about relationships. I have a friend whose boyfriend moved with her TO Muncie to stay together. They say things like, “ Long distance never works, it’s too hard… except for you guys! You’re the exception!” I just plaster a smile on my face and nod. “Thanks guys, for believing in us.” It is difficult. But I think it’s worked in our favor in some instances. Not having Drew here did give me a chance to make my own friends and focus on my education. Other students in the article mentioned similar occurrences. Having a significant other around all the time, while wonderful, takes a great deal of time and energy. Drew has been able to do his own thing as well and has more time for his own friends.

For grad school I’m hoping to go to a school in our home town so hopefully, if we’re still together (knock on wood), we can finally have a “regular” relationship. But for now long distance is fine. There is Skype, and texting. Phone calls and visits. Drew and I “Make it work” as the wonderful Tim Gunn would say.