We live in an age where we can have nearly everything at our fingertips within a matter of minutes: the number of people who viewed our Snap stories, a delivery pizza, the best tourist attractions near Niagra Falls. If you're lucky, you can add "someone to hold" to that list. If you can add "someone to hold every other moon cycle," you can join my club.

I've only had one long-term relationship, and honestly, it's the only one I've ever really needed. But there's a catch: for 3 of the 4-and-a-half years we have dated, our relationship has been long distance.

Some might say I'm limiting myself because of this, but I beg to differ. My boyfriend and I grew up together in the same small town, and we're able to understand and support each other in ways others could not - that's why we've held onto each other all this time. So no, I'm not limiting myself, I simply have a person who learns and grows with me.

Being apart from John for weeks or months at a time has made me more appreciative of his company when I'm with him. While at times it's incredibly difficult - sometimes Skype sessions, phone calls, or messages just aren't enough - I'm so happy to have a person worth waiting for. After more than four years, he still makes my heart happy, and I'm confident he will for many more.

Recently, I was curious about other people's experiences with long distance relationships. What makes them work? What makes them worthwhile?

I reached out to some friends who have endured long distance relationships, and this is what they had to say about their experiences:

Liz

"[Billy and I] have been together for 1 year and 19 days. The first two months, I saw him almost every day, and then I moved back to college, making us two hours away, and after graduation I moved home, making us three hours away.

Last year I worked at a summer camp and made friends with Billy's roommate Cole. Cole extended an invitation to come home with them for the weekend and I accepted. My first interaction with Billy was singing the Pitch Perfect 2 album with him and Cole. He was silly and light-hearted, which made me really like him.

As we got to know each other, I saw he made it his job to make sure everyone was happy and laughing. The fact that he could make me laugh for hours made me fall in love with him. I have been in a few relationships before this, but honestly, no one has ever made me as happy as he had. The distance is hard, but he is always motivating me to do my best on my school work and letting me know that to him, I'm the most gorgeous woman. This has been a huge motivation for me to do my best for him and to not let him down, and it's that support he gives me that is the reason I want to stay with him, even if we are 3 hours apart.

The most challenging part was getting time to talk. He works from 3 - 11 p.m., and I usually had classes from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. or now work from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. and usually in bed sleeping by 10. It has gotten a little easier; he tries to wake up a little earlier to talk to me on my lunch break, and I try to stay up a little later to Skype him for an hour or so.

Honestly, he is the one. I will most definitely spend the rest of my life with this man. The fact that I get to call him mine is amazing to me. We put a deposit on a house and will be moving in together the second week of July.

Like i have said previously, I have had other relationships before this. By far, this one has been the MOST work, but it has also been the most rewarding. It has shown me the harder you work for a person, the more love there is, the more you appreciate your significant other."

Olivia

"Devin and I were together for 8 months before breaking up. We met at our workplace. I was a waitress at a BBQ restaurant for almost 3 years, and after 2 and a half years of working there, he got a job as a busboy. At first I wasn't interested, but he claimed he was interested from day one and made it his goal to get on the schedule whenever I was working.

Eventually he worked his way into getting my attention, which was pretty surprising, because at the time all I was interested in was working and focusing on school in order to get as much scholarship as possible. But after weeks of working with him and getting to know him, I finally agreed to going on a date with him. He had gotten to know me in a way that not many guys had, which is what made me want to stay with him. At the time, I really thought I saw a future with him.

But last summer it became [long distance] when I decided to attend Briar Cliff, over 1,800 miles away from him. The most challenging part was going from being able to see him every week and talking to him on a daily basis to the hectic college life. I realized I didn't have time for nightly phone calls or to text back right away. Sometimes it would be a couple of hours before I could even respond to his message. As time went on, it became more difficult.

Going into it, I really thought it would work. But I realized that in order for long distance to work you both have to trust each other. When I wasn't responding he thought it was because I was with other boys and I realized he didn't trust me. In the end, after I finally ended things with him, I actually found out he had been cheating on me the entire time with the girl he had claimed was his best friend.

Even though it didn't work out, the positive realization I was left with is that in order for long distance to work you have to both be able to completely trust each other. I definitely don't regret my decision, because it grew me as a person. It made me have more respect for myself in the end and made me realize that you can't be defined by your relationship. It's better to be single than with someone who doesn't trust you, when in the end they're the ones who couldn't be trusted. You learn more about who you are and what you deserve when out in situations like these.

If you can do long distance, then props to you. Sometimes it strengthens relationships and makes the two people stronger together than ever. But for others, long distance tests and breaks relationships apart. But sometimes that's for the best in the long run."

Doyle

"About a year and a half ago, I had just been broken up with by a girl I had dated for four years. That relationship didn't last after I left for college. It was as if the life had been strangled out of the relationship.

The next relationship I had I started while at college, but she lived in Maryland. She was a student teacher at my high school, and we hit it off a year after my graduation. We both enjoyed the intellectual depth that we had and constantly talked about sociological and psychological theories. I really liked how she understood and came back with new and exciting ideas for my academic writings and works.

However, after the summer, I moved back to college and she basically stopped talking to me. I believed that we were both unique individuals that had found someone with similar opinions on life and a similar attitude toward academics. Which we did. But the hardest thing was communication. She stopped talking and blamed it on her job. But no job prevents you from sending a small text or something. I believe the chief problem was that when she couldn't see me, she lost interest. And when that happened, we failed as a couple.

I realized that I should build a more healthy and positive, physical and emotional, as well as intellectual link with a partner before venturing into the realm of long distance. My current relationship is booming. She lives in Colorado and myself in Iowa, but we love each other very much. And that love is based on a complex web of emotional, social, physical, and intellectual connections that strongly hold that relationship in place. I want it to change though. Next summer, I'll be moving into her house in Colorado."

Morgan

"Last July, my boyfriend Aaron and I met because we were both on the same crew for pollinating corn at Pioneer! I really didn't like pollinating corn, but I loved going to work because he was there and he could always make me smile and laugh, and I could tell he was a very special person. We didn't start to officially date until October, because we were going to different colleges - he goes to UNI and I go to Simpson - so they're a little over two hours away from each other, and we didn't make anything official until we both got settled into our different colleges and decided if we still wanted to have a relationship.

Well, the first month or so of college passed, and we both knew for sure that even though we only got to see each other every few weeks, we knew it was totally worth it, because we knew that this was something special and will last long after college. It was very hard when things got stressful and all I wanted to do was just hug Aaron. Skype and talking on the phone are both great, but the thing I missed most while being away was just the psychical contact, not being able to run into his arms whenever things got tough or I was feeling down.

However, when I did get to see him, it was even more exciting, and we both really appreciate the few days we had together whenever one of us came to visit. You truly appreciate the other person more when you don't get to see them all the time, and I certainly cherished every moment I had with him whenever I got to see him.

Since we didn't start talking until late July, we only had a few weeks of regularly seeing each other, so a majority of our relationship has been long distance. Now that it is summer and we are home I get to see him regularly and it's great, but last week I had a thing at Simpson so I was gone for a week, and since we were used to going much longer without seeing each other, it was no big deal.

Although college has been great so far, we are both looking forward to life after college so we can move in together and see each other all the time. I think long distance relationships are good because it really tests your love for the other person and proves whether your relationship is actually valuable and completely worth the drive, or it could prove how replaceable the other person is. So yes, even though it stinks not being able to see him whenever I want while I'm at college, he is completely worth it."

Sheri

"Mark and I had just met in April of 1992. We met at the Jukebox bar in Algona. I had seen him go past my house when I was in high school. He would always wave and smile. I knew his younger brother; he was a grade in front of me in high school.

He asked for my phone number that night we met, so I gave it to him and he didn't call. Oh, by the way, that night was a best bums contest and I had told my friend Kendra I thought he should enter it, so she told him and he blushed and said he wasn't into that kind of stuff. He was shy! So after the contest was over, he asked me to dance, and we danced all night! We love to dance!

He never called. I waited 2 weeks and thought, Well, what a jerk! So my friends from LaJames and I went to the Jukebox again and he was there. He saw me and came over and said he had tried to call, but it was the wrong number. He was calling Algona; I was living in Mason city . So I wrote down my number for him and we danced all night again!

Our first date was the following weekend, and we went to Hardee's and a concert at a dive bar. He opened the doors for me; he was such a gentleman, kissed me good night, and when I went to my bedroom that night, I knew I would marry him! I know it's crazy, but it's like I could see my future with him!

So we started our 4-month long distance relationship! He worked in Humboldt and I didn't have a car, so we called every night .

Going a week at a time to see him, I was young and in love, and I also knew I didn't want to move back to Algona. I wanted to live in a bigger place and do hair, and then open my own place."

Justine

"We started seeing each other about 3 and a half years ago. We officially started dating 2 years ago on the 27th. We met at Briar Cliff. We were in the same group for the Presidential dinner, because he was from Canada and I was supposed to live off campus. We also had chemistry class together. We saw each other at parties, as well as working with the same group of friends when studying for class. I thought he was attractive, and during spring break our freshman year, baseball was stuck on campus due to a snow storm, which caused us to really start to talk and hang out.

Originally, he didn't want to date, because he didn't want to get stuck in America since he didn't like it so much his first year. He had to go home every summer, which is definitely the difficult part, especially when you get used to being able to see the person whenever you want, and then going and not being able to see them or barely speak to them.

That first summer was really hard, because it was difficult for us to communicate so we stopped speaking for a while. He would have to get a new phone for when he was either here or back home and the first summer his mom decided not to get him a phone plan. I'd say that distance never really gets easier; it causes a strain on a relationship, but I got better at dealing with it. I went up to visit him our first summer as a couple, and then last summer as well for a week each time which helped to make the time/distance go by faster.

The hardest part was always saying goodbye after visiting. I would end up crying, and it would be even worse because I was in an airport alone and surrounded by strangers, which caused me to cry more. We currently live together and are expecting a daughter to be born within the next 6 weeks. We hope to potentially get married next summer. He just graduated, and I will graduate next May, but we are both considering starting master's programs after I graduate, otherwise possibly moving up to Canada.

Never in a million years would I have guessed to have fallen in love with someone from so far away, let alone a different country, but it's so worth it. The distance was hard, but in the end, we're still together and happy."

Erin

"My first [long distance relationship] was when I was in a sophomore in high school. I didn't know what I was doing, and neither did he. I was with [him] 2 months and we were long-distance the entire relationship. I met him on a mission trip and thought he was super nice. Also, I was a sophomore in high school, so frankly, I just wanted a relationship. I felt like I was the only person who had never been on a date, and honestly, I settled for the first person who seem interested.

We didn't know what we were doing, and we started long-distance, so we never actually built a foundation to grow on. I hoped maybe in the moment one of us would choose to make more of an effort, but in hindsight, neither of us were mature enough or cared enough about the relationship to make any change or effort. Long distance relationships need a foundation or they fall through the cracks, because they have no feet to stand on when they are working through the distance. It never got easier, because we had nothing to build on.

Honestly, there was nothing rewarding about the relationship - my parents don't even count it as a real relationship, but it truly was as bad as a long-distance relationship could be.

I have been with [my fiancé] for 3 and a half years. When we started the long-distance relationship, we were 2 years into the relationship. I met Michael when I was a freshman in college. I wanted to start dating him because he had all the qualities I was looking for: smart, funny, kind, respectful, and weird! He was someone I could really see myself with! He graduated and got a job in Sioux Falls while I still had a year left of school in Sioux City.

By the time we started the long long-distance relationship, we had had two "test-runs" through the summers. When I came time for him to graduate while I still had a year left, we both knew what we were getting into. At that point, we both knew we were in it for the long-haul. We were willing and actually wanted to put in the effort that long-distance relationships took.

The most challenging part was going from seeing each other almost every day to seeing each other maybe once every two weeks. It was a big adjustment and a whole new aspect to out relationship. We had to learn how to communicate effectively when we couldn't see each other every day. A lot of things got missed in translation, because a lot of our communication was via text or phone instead of being able to see each other's body language face to face. This got easier as it went on, because we got used to the distance and learned each other's communication styles via phone. My fiancé likes to tell me he can tell what mood I am in by how I am texting.

Neither of us were excited about living away from each other, but we made it work. We made the effort to visit each other and be there for the big things. We saw each other every other week for different events that it really didn't take much of a toll.

There will be arguments and hurt feelings. However, it's how you handle those things that makes all the difference. We went into it with the mindset that we are going to make it work and make the effort because he was the man I was going to marry.

There were two most rewarding parts. One: we learned how to communicate effectively via text/phone. It really helped out with communication in general because it helped make us more aware about how good communication can have a huge impact on your relationship! Second: it made us cherish the time we had together. Since we didn't see each other every day, we got the chance to make the moments we had together even more special! We truly appreciated the time we had together instead of taking it for granted! We saw what making the effort for each other meant, which made us stronger as a unit. Now we live 13 minutes from each other and in three weeks we will live together, so that will be great!

Distance is tricky... it can make you stronger or destroy you as a couple!"