Whenever someone uses the word "long-distance relationship" the first thing that comes to our minds is probably a romantic relationship, whereas we grew up learning that the definition of "relationship" is the connection, bond or involvement between individuals. Having grown up in India with my friends and family for the majority of my life, I learned a lot about attachment, and what it's like to be around close ones. However, considering I always had my loved ones close, I don't think I ever cherished them enough. After moving nearly 8,000 miles away, I learned the value of relationships and after spending a whole year away at college, I could finally categorize what each relationship meant to me and what I learnt.

Long-Distance Daughter

Both of my parents have always been very important in my life in terms of the decisions I made, or the person I am. I spent majority of my time with my mother; she was always my go-to person and my closest confidante. I remember how I'd always make fun of her "empty nest syndrome," or how she had major separation anxiety. However, I realized how dependent I am on her every time I'd call her up exasperated after a bad grade, or wake her up at 4 a.m. (courtesy different time zones) because grocery shopping confuses me. Although I thought it'd be impossible, considering how close we were already, but I think our bond now is stronger than ever. I can't imagine facing a problem and not telling my mom first. I know sometimes I may forget to call her back, or upset her by not Skyping enough, but she means the world to me and I understand her worth with every passing day. I realized that although I wanted to leave home and be independent, she is my true source of strength.

My dad always travelled a lot, so we hardly got to see each other, which is probably why it took him so much time to understand that I can't perpetually be his little girl. Although I am reprimanded or spoiled from time to time, he gives me advice on work and college and treats me like an adult, and that's probably because I'm far away and he realizes I can take care of myself. He's always complimenting me for having a mind of my own, and although we have a fundamental disagreement on almost everything, I know there is a lot of mutual respect. In light of all this responsibility and unconditional love, I would hate to let either of them down.

Long-Distance Best Friend

Two of my best friends live in two different parts of the world. One of them, luckily is only six hours away from me, but the other is on a different continent. Since the three of us are rarely in the same place, the few days we get together, not a single second is gone to waste. We still try very hard to video chat, make weekly phone calls, and every single update on our personal lives are immediately texted to one another. College can be frustrating, whether it's classes, internships, friends or boys, my instant stress relievers are my two girls. I still don't hesitate to call them after midnight, yell at them when they irritate me, and shower them with love when I miss them. All three of us were confident we'd stay best friends and I'm so glad it wasn't one of those situations where we looked back and shrugged because we drifted apart. I learned so much from these two and realized those who stay in your life are there because they cared enough, and those who aren't in your life is because of a reason. You guys loved me in the toughest of times when you didn't have to.Thank you for being my pillars and personal comedians.

Long-Distance Girlfriend

Every one told me it wasn't practical and it's difficult to stay in love with the idea of someone. I was adamant. I could make it work, we'd beat the odds, we'd be everyone's relationship goals and would also probably spend our lives together. He gave me confidence, too. I always knew I could trust him and we crossed some pretty difficult hurdles together. Initially we'd talk everyday, updating each other on how our days were. We tried so hard to be a part of each other's lives. Slowly as time passed, we started to care less, we weren't so sensitive of each other's feelings. Priorities changed and our intimate friend circles and daily lifestyle impacted us in a negative way. How could we trust each other when we hardly remembered how the other person looked in real life? There were arguments and tears, we were hurt and it ended badly. I lost my best friend in him and felt like I had nothing to hold onto or even to look forward to. Regardless of all the loss and pain, I learned to let go and not cling to the ideal scenario I had created in my head. I learned to move on and start over. I learned that it's OK if I don't end up with my first love because sometimes things just aren't meant to be. Old, happy memories made me want to stay stuck in one place, but it was not okay to deny myself new ones. Life goes on and, in a way, I'm glad it made me so much stronger.