A Column

Writing about relationships and love is not an easy thing do, especially as it is perceived different by every single one of us. Well, as we all know, nothing in this world worth having comes easy, especially when it is about your significant other. And yes, relationships in all their different forms and shapes have one thing in common: People in a relationship simply need to care about and communicate with each other (…yes, it does sound easier as it sometimes seems to be). Fine, I am not telling you anything new here…

Communication is key when it comes to long-distance relationships, which are quite en vogue and not a phenomenon of our modern times, but thanks to the messenger service of your choice and Skype way easier to handle than in the 20th century (or even earlier…unfortunately it’s impossible to ask for example Elisabeth, the former empress of Austria, how she dealt with the long-distance relationship between Budapest and Vienna…).

No matter which century, long-distance relationships also inspired thousands of songwriters to write songs about people desperately missing each other, time passing by so fast (…or not) and love letters (…sealed with a kiss). Curious which one of those are hiding in the following text about the “Pros and Cons of long-distance relationships”? For sure you can name them all…

Pros

Reduced risk of falling into the same old dull routine

As a matter of fact, daily routines do threaten the romance in your relationship significantly, soon making it feel “like a worn-out recording, of a favorite song”. One is less likely to become caught up in “le train-train quotidian” when not seeing each other every day. It may sound hard, but having some me-time isn’t that bad every once in a while (no offence…).

Pour yourself a cup of ambition

Working overtime will not be considered as rude by your better half when he/she is working elsewhere also, thus you won’t be judged dedicating a lot of time to work on your career, which in the end makes both of you feel more satisfied.

A good reason to visit each other and travel occasionally

The fact that your better half is living abroad (which you are in the opposite direction for your partner also) or only a three hours drive away, gives you plenty of options to hit the road and go on some spontaneous trips to whichever part on beautiful planet earth.

Cons

…like the deserts miss the rain

Whether you wake up in the morning in bed alone or binge-watch your favourite Netflix series with your best friend on evenings – yes, the missing without any doubt is The. Worst. Part. Of. All.

But be warned: if this feeling all of sudden disappears (for whatever reason) and you don’t consider it necessary to give your partner a Skype call any longer, it’s time to listen to your inner self, talking with each other and figure things out.

The waiting is the hardest part

Especially the last three days before finally seeing each other again after weeks seem to be passing by slower than the rest of the waiting period. The only good thing about this part is the fact, that you are really looking forward to seeing each other again – each single time.

Fear of getting lost in illusions

There will be times you picture your better half to live a more glamorous life than you do – which quite often happens, if you don’t manage to see each other on a frequent basis or you have no idea about the culture of your partner’s host country. No matter if your significant other lives in New York or somewhere in the middle of nowhere – in the end, he/she will fall into the same old working week routine, cook her/his pasta with water and watching Netflix before getting to bed.

 

As you can see, neither the pros nor the cons prevail and yes, for sure there a several more advantages and disadvantages left that could be added to the list. Unfortunately there isn’t such a thing as a winning formula for that certain kind of relationship – but neither is for any other kind of relationship.