going the distance

648 miles. 12 hour drive. 4 hour flight. 138 days of not seeing each other. 34 texts per day. 23 minute phone call. 60 minutes crying per week. 140 minutes laughing. 20 minutes doubting. 80 minutes deciding. 10,080 minutes dreaming. 10,080 minutes dedicating. 10,080 minutes loving.
by now you know that i don't live anywhere near my beau. no, it's not across an ocean or even in a foreign country. [well, it's texas. might as well be foreign.] but, it's pretty darn far for a love to flourish, to grow, to ignite, to kindle. most days i get through by the grace of the good Lord. a lot of days C pulls me through with laughter and some healthy reality checks. some days i can understand that we must do this in order to get to happily ever after. we just make it work. because we have to.
there is a definite survival method to this serious madness. just as chuck noland needed his volleyball friend Wilson, long distancers need their own one-is-the-lonliest-number survival kit. 1. come prepared with extra patience. 2. be sure to pack a lot of dreams. 3. bring water to cool down i-miss-you-so-much emotions. 4. feel lucky that one of you [not me] is level-headed and has a strong sense of direction. 5. have faith that the dark, wooded path will lead to a nice, bright future. 6. don’t forget the laughter. 7. pray for more sunny days than storms. 8. know that the us is worth surviving for.
i believe there are times in our lives that allow us to make our own path. to pave our own journey. to have gumption. to fight. to survive. to build a future. this distance business often leaves me in a dark wilderness. and a lot of times i feel like i am stranded on an uninhabited island. let's put it this way, i've never been mistaken for a survivor contestant. and "roughing it" is not my idea of a good time. but, we have made our own challenge. and for now, we're making it work. then one day our journeys will collide. and we'll share the island of life. text messages will be reserved for emergencies. phone calls will consist of grocery lists and weekend plans. frequent flyer miles will take us to exotic vacations. laughing, crying, dreaming, and loving will be an over dinner, under the covers, on the couch ritual. and we'll have made it. because distance, my love, only makes the heart grow fonder.