15 Times Your Long Distance Relationship Is Worth Fighting For

1. You can’t imagine your life without the other person. You’re willing to wait until you can be together and though time apart can be daunting, you’re not phased by the fact that it could take over a year to end up in the same place.

2. You aren’t the jealous type (and that’s not just something you say). You don’t mandate that your SO signs on to Skype every night at 9 p.m. sharp. You accept that they have a life outside of your relationship, and can’t wait to be part of it when you’re in the same place.

3. Your communication skills are off the charts. You tell each other when something is bothering you, even if it’s small, because you understand that getting it out in the open is better than letting it marinate and then blow up.

4. One of you can actually move in the foreseeable future. Even in the most functional relationships, job security and general adulthood can push you to your breaking point.Your relationship needs an end game that involves you both ending up in the same place.

5. You’re comfortable charting out your relationship timeline. You’ve sat down and had the marriage talk, or the “are we in this for the long run” talk and it wasn’t uncomfortable, nor was it a big production. It felt natural and was completely mutual.

6. Even though you’ve been waiting for a long time to be in the same place, that’s not the only reason to stay together. The worst thing that can happen in a LDR is that you idealize the *~~moment when you’ll be together at last~~*, but don’t consider the day-to-day realities of living together, or fostering a relationship after you’re reunited.

7. You’ve talked about whether or not moving in together right away is a good idea, or what step you’re actually ready for. You’re not too blinded by desperately needing to see each other to make rational choices.

8. You’re willing to compromise something else for the sake of your relationship. You know what your priorities are, and where your relationship fits in,

9. You share a common goal. It doesn’t matter whether it’s based on supporting each other’s careers, saving up to get married, or both, as long as the way you see your next few years going aligns.

10. You know each other’s schedules. Not because you’re overbearing, but because you constantly want to fill each other in.

11. You do romantic things that suck so much that you don’t want to tell your friends. (Like sending each other letters, care packages, or anything else that keeps UPS in business.)

12. You understand that when you are in the same city, compromises will still be necessary. When you’re in an LDR, location is your biggest compromise and other challenges fall away. When you’re in the same city, those challenges show up front and center, and you need to be able to handle them.

13. You know a lot about long distance sex. You understand how to use a phone and a vibrator in perfect harmony.

14. You’d trust your partner to make decisions based on your needs and you’d do the same. You feel confident that whatever decisions they make will take into consideration and respect where you are in life.

15. You’re never pretending. You’re never hiding part of yourself, or not saying things you need to say.