Distance Makes the Heart Grow

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder." Of what exactly? Miserable miles on I-16? Being on totally opposite schedules leaving little time to talk? Doing favorite things alone? No, distance makes me irritable and irrational. Unsatisfied with the people and things around me. Distance makes my heart scream, "It's not fair!" while stamping it's foot. Distance makes me question, and makes me feel alone.

     The quote to the left was something I stumbled upon on Pinterest, and I thought it was mostly accurate. Distance may not be for the fearful, but there is still a lot of inevitable fear just like there are a lot of inevitable miles. I think the hardest part of the quote is that distance is not for the bold. It seems as if it is for people who are willing to put things on hold, sometimes indefinitely. But how do you put your life on hold when the world is moving and changing around you? Ultimately, distance changes people, just like visiting a place you haven't been to in years--there are new shops, new roads, new rules--but this time, the change is inside you directing your steps.

      I've stumbled across different articles that say weathering a physical separation proves a relationship's strengths. From what I've seen, it only magnifies it's weaknesses. Whether it be family, friends, or fiances, distance does little to build a foundation for the future. So what does one do when dealing with distance? Ignore, fight, embrace it? I don't want to do any of those things. Those aren't the answers I want to accept. Distance places you in a no-man's land, sometimes rather realistically when dealing with loneliness, that is void of relatively easy logic and understanding. Distance makes people who are so great together, struggle to remain great apart.

So how do you deal with distance?