Long Distance Relationships

What I'm about to write next is extremely biased, so please, if you're reading this and do not agree with my views, please live and let live, as I do not see myself changing my opinions anytime soon and have no plans of getting into a debate of any kind.

I simply do not want a long distance relationship. I'm not saying with finality that long distance relationships do not work, but from what I gather, this is what I strongly believe in.

The thing is, whether we like it or not, people change. They change because of their peers, the environment, their experiences, their choices, and a whole lot of other reasons. And being apart from someone for a long time, not going through the changes with him/her, changes the relationship as well. For me, the essence of having a relationship with a person is enduring the same challenges, encouraging each other, empathizing and sympathizing with each other. My problem will be his problem, and his problem, mine, too. I do not mean that we have to literally go through the same thing, but that we share the experience. Being there for each other through the ups and downs is not at all the same as being a supportive audience. Would you want your loved one to come home very different from the one you knew? Of course not. The little things matter. These little things accumulate into big character changes.

Also, nothing beats being able to see your partner after a long day for a hug, a kiss, and/or an occasional lunch or dinner. It's what relieves you of your stress, makes you forget your office problems, lightens the burden of whatever made you suffer during the day or week. And who would not want a comforting embrace after petty misunderstandings, someone to wipe your tears off when things get to be too much, a listening ear, who will never judge you?

Another joy is being able to try and enjoy new things together. Not just once or twice or thrice a year, but everyday. The pleasure of exploring even the littlest new things with the most special person in your life is priceless and incomparable to anything else. 

Gastronomic exploration. Felix @ Greenbelt. 01.22.14

I don't want to be too busy preparing (to the point of compromising happiness) for my future that my present ends up to be one gigantic sacrifice. So, why would I trade that for a job or for money?