" Long distance never works."

"You won't want to be held back."

"HA. Good luck with that."

If you are in a long distance relationship, you quite possibly have heard one or all of the above sayings. As I prepared to leave for college and decided I wanted to continue my relationship via long distance, I heard all of these and more. However, with one year of long distance now under my belt, I can say without a doubt that doing so was the best decision I have ever made.

Everyone says that college is the time to find yourself. It's a time to be free, to explore new things, and to focus on what you want in life. For some people, this means letting go of old relationships and venturing into the world with no strings attached. For me, choosing to do long distance has given me the very unique opportunity to both be independent and focus on myself, while also maintaining a wonderful relationship that just so happens to be with someone hundreds of miles away. We both are able to concentrate on bettering ourselves individually, especially as we enter the "adult world", while also being each other's steady support system, adviser, and best friend.

Choosing to do long distance at this time in my life has taught me so much about building a stable and lasting foundation. When the person you love is across the country, all you have is communication. I have learned so much about trust, openness, and loving someone deeply for who they are. Everyday my faith in our love gets stronger. After all, if we can survive four years apart, we can survive just about anything. I can't picture another way to build such a strong basis for the future.

Long distance has brought a new kind of joy into my life. The excitement of finally seeing my significant other fills my heart with a kind of happiness I never knew before. The distance has let us see clearly what we need to work on and has taught me to trust another person more than I ever thought I would be able to. My advice to anyone who is questioning whether or not to continue their relationship as they head into college: follow your heart. Don't let anyone tell you what is or isn't possible. I am so grateful for all that I have learned through long distance and for the love we have found that conquers every mile between us.