LDR Advice #1: Talk

Patrick is coming to Germany soon. Boxes are being sent with his stuff and more things are being sold in the US. The step of faith is coming soon and with that our long distant relationship will come to an end. There will still be lots of ups and downs but the distance will be a street car drive away. ☺ Patrick and I have been together for almost 2.5 years and over 22 months of those were long distance!!! There are couples that have been apart longer but I think we still have learned some things that might help others in a LDR. This does not only mean boy/girl relationship but any friendship that is long distant can glean from these series. We will mainly talk about a courtship LDR since that our experience so here we go...

Our first advice is: TALK. I've had a few people ask me what are some things I can tell them about a LDR and I always say TALK first. In a LDR you do not have the joy of just doing things together but you still must be involved in each others lives. There are many ways to do that, which we will cover but one of the most important things is TALKING.
How you talk is up to you. Skype is great! You can see and hear each other. A phone call is another way to keep in touch and tell each other about your day. Sometimes an email is great, a quick text saying "I'm thinking of you", "I miss you!!!" or "I love you, honey." is all it takes to keep  in touch. Snail mail is great though more out of the romantic sense than keeping in touch in today's day in age.

When you talk is up to you. If you are in the same timezone and on the same schedule you may have it a little easier to stay in touch but when you are in different timezones and scheduling conflicts you will just have to work something out. We would encourage to talk every day, even if its just a quick email or text. Some people are really busy and just cannot talk but do your best through other means to keep in touch. If you can only talk once a week write things down that happen over the course of the week and tell each other.

Today it is very easy to stay in touch. Do it. We don't have to wait on snail mail and often can find ways around expensive phone bills. Do what you can and talk talk talk.