Reach Out and Touch Someone
by James Chenoweth I am going to let everyone in on a little secret. Long-distance is not lethal in a relationship. Not lethal at all. With today's technology, you can keep in touch with your significant other easily. I happen to know a little about this subject, because I had a long-distance relationship going for a year. During that time, we only lived in the same state during the two to three weeks of winter break. Despite the miles between us, it was far and away the best relationship I've had to date, and I would do it all over again.
If you take a class in interpersonal relationships (and they have them for credit, if you can believe that), they will tell you the number one factor in whether or not a long-distance relationship will survive is money. Money allows you to talk on the phone. Money buys flights to see your loved one. Money also gives you the freedom to take off from work with ease. Money will certainly not hurt any long-distance relationship.
However, with today's avenues of communication, you can keep your relationship alive and growing with little cash out the window. The most traditional way is to let your fingers do the walking and talk on the phone. I am going to get into some Internet things, since this is NetNacs! and all, but I can not stress one bit that although long-distance is not per se lethal to your relationship, long-distance plus not talking on the phone is. Go too long without talking on the phone and you will need to scream out for a medic. With today's cheap cell phone contracts, there is absolutely no excuse not to talk on the phone often.
That being said, I have some new tips to go with the old way to keep in touch. First, although no substitute for talking, chatting can be a great way to keep in touch when you are both busy with school or the like. I recommend AOL's free Instant Messenger. Yahoo's Messenger, which is also free, has the added feature of instantly configuring your webcam, so that you two can chat while still getting to see each other's faces. Be warned, when you see your boyfriend on webcam, for some reason it looks a little creepy . . . Seeing their girlfriends will not bother guys.
Email is always a handy tool to keep in touch with everyone, and your long-distance partner will be no different. Add some flirtation to your emails, so that your conversations are not mundane, and girls like little surprises in the email that might make them blush. Guys like anything. Another email method to keep the romance alive includes the ever-popular e-card. Finding random excuses to send your girlfriend a cute e-card will certainly earn you points between phone calls. I recommend American Greetings for many animated e-cards. Also, a cute site that my girlfriend and I frequently used to send each other e-cards is Vermont Teddy Bear, which does sale all types of teddy bears.
Which brings me to my next point. Girls like gifts. Use your online shopping to send stuff to her. You will likely forget you ordered it by the time she gets it, so when she thanks you, you will be equally surprised.
Finally, and more importantly than anything but the phone, fly to him or her. The March 2002 and 2003 issues of GenXnowfeature some traveling tips, so you may want to check them out. Also, consider buying your flights and hotel as an online package. I recently bought a flight to and from Austin and a three-night stay for three hundred dollars less than the flight alone had cost, because I waited to buy my ticket. Having a hotel room, even if your boyfriend or girlfriend has an apartment is a cute way to make it a vacation for both of you.
There you have it. Although there is no substitute for the girl next door, do not be afraid to maintain (or start) a relationship with the girl next state. |
