How This All Started

Midnight Ponderings

If you consider it, no romance is can really be called normal. After becoming engaged a mere week ago, you can imagine how many times I've heard the phrase "congratulations!" or, "I'm so happy for you!" recently. I'll be honest, after hearing it from my parents and best friend, I began to get used to it and now it's almost tuned out when the subject falls onto the upcoming nuptials. However, one comment did stick out to me that popped up recently.

It is currently winter break for all college students (including me) and I ran into an old classmate of mine while at work. She too, just like everyone else, had seen the engagement posted on Facebook and congratulated me on it. But, it wasn't the usual asking to see the ring and saying that she's happy for me that stuck out. Right before she left, the phrase "You two are the ideal couple," slipped out from her. It was a nice enough comment at the time that I really never considered again until now.
 
As many of us have heard before, there's no such thing as normal. However, in my opinion, ideal isn't realistic either. Ideality, just like normality, is all a matter of perception. As beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so is ideality. Are my fiancé and I the perfect couple? No. Do we always see eye to eye? Rarely. However, we do love one another more than anything else in the world and neither of us could imagine our lives without the other. I suppose that is what ideal love is really. Knowing you can have anyone else in the world and be anywhere else in the world yet you'd still rather be with them and love them no matter what the circumstance.

But, when you're 5000+ miles apart? That love becomes different in so many ways. For me, it made me realize just how much he meant to me. I realized that there was nothing I wouldn't do to be with him and get to hold him again. Hearing your significant other in pain, sick or upset and not being able to do anything but listen and try your best to be encouraging is one of the most difficult experiences anyone can have. Knowing you can't be there in person to do what a significant other is supposed to do is a challenge. But, that distance can also be a good thing for a relationship.

I know, I sound insane; but its true. When there's distance between you and someone you love, it can make you realize just how much you love them. Simple things that you used to take for granted like their laugh, their smile or even the way they look at you sometimes become so incredibly special. Sometimes, having the time to miss someone can truly build up relationship. Am I saying that everyone should be in long distance relationships? No. They're not for everyone and they're extremely challenging. But it all becomes worth the wait when you're in their arms again (after 6+ months apart).

So is any relationship perfect or idealistic? Not to everyone. But it doesn't matter because as long as you're happy and know that your relationship and significant other are perfect to you and make you happy, that's all that matters.

- Angel