Long Distance

My father got married this weekend in the Bahamas to his second wife. As far as I can tell, he chose much better this time. She's classy, pretty, a good mom, very professional and has a very positive demeanor. I like her. My dad told me he was engaged early in June. We don't have the best relationship so I'm pretty sure they've been engaged for considerably longer and he just chose to tell me now. I didn't attend the wedding, neither did any of my family members. But that's how my dad rolls, I'm jut glad he found someone to be happy with. 

My mother has been married for 18 years now. It's kind of mind boggling to believe that it's been that long. She will be the first to tell you that she's a happily married woman. She honestly is. 

So where am I going with this? Well, both of my parents are married and involved in long distance relationships with their spouses. My father has been dating his new wife for a couple years now. She lives in Jamaica with her preteen daughter, my dad lives up here in the GTA with my 8 year old brother. They have been flying back and forth to see each other and speak to each other multiple times a day. My mother lived with her husband for the initial 3-4 years of their marriage then moved to a different city for work. She still goes to spend time with him and every 2 weeks they spend the weekend together. 

Imagine that. One long distance dating relationship that resulted in marriage and one long distance marriage that has lasted 18 years despite the distance. I jokingly asked my mom if her and my father were trying to permanently scar my perception of romance, then I got to wondering how I actually felt about it. 

Of course, a long distance relationship is only for the very strong hearted. This is a partnership that has no room for insecurity. You have to be very comfortable within yourself to be able to survive the day to day life without physically seeing of touching the person you love. Only hearing their voice, reading their messages is a hard way to love. We have Skype ad FaceTime now which I'm sure helps as far as seeing their face (or more if you're into the webcam sex shit). 

The main subject that pops up when discussing long distance relationships is fidelity. The fear that while you're so far away from them, they could be with someone else. Of course the possibility is there, but let's be real; you could live next door to your man/girl and they could still be cheating. 

I'm the type of person who gets bored with my company easily. I need time away to miss you! If you're always in my face, always at my crib, always at the club, always in my space.... You're gonna get cut. I guarantee it. So a long distance relationship doesn't sound like a terrible idea to me at all. 

Neither of my parents are dependent on the company of others. My father is easily annoyed by people who don't understand his many quirks and abstract idiosyncrasies, and my mother is just like me when it comes to being social; she'll do it when she has to or the odd time she's lonely. Otherwise she'll tell you to piss off. Perhaps that's (definitely) where I got both those traits from. 

Point is, they're both cut out for long distance relationships. When they're with their spouse they enjoy every moment and long to see them when they leave. When they're each on their own they're perfectly content to just chill out until the next flight or 2 hr drive. 

My mother has been happy for 18 years and my father has found his happiness now. They're two perfect examples of how a long distance relationship can be successful. Don't rule it out as an option before trying. Technology has made the world smaller, this is one of the many ways it can bring us closer. 

The Articulate Bitch