LDR's can be great because...

[JEREIANEDREI]

coz since its my first time having LDR its the CHALLENGE,,that I think is great in having this relationship,,,since we have 16 hrs. time difference I need to adjust totally,.when its morning here its night in us...hayyyy....but still to be honest the most challenging to it is HOW TO FIGHT THE LONELINESS,,,,sorry to be honest as of now its hard for me,,,but I need to be strong and be positive for us!....Good luck to us!...God Bless guys!

[BlueCat]

My LDR is great because:
-if I decide not to shave my legs for a week, no one cares

Definitely that one! lol

[GatoGirl]

Oh, agreed with all of the above posts! Another advantage that I haven't seen posted is that you learn to 'fight smarter'.
1. We learned in our first year LD (1998!!) that it was just too expensive and completely useless to fight over the phone!
2. We have learned to agree to disagree.
3. We've learned to save conflict/disagreement for stuff that really matters.
4. We don't waste our together time fighting, so we approach differences of opinion from a 'let's get it solved and move on' point of view.
5. We've learned that both of us will make unilateral decisions at times because we just couldn't discuss it with the other one due to the situation. For example, the morning my water heater became a geyser in my basement, I called the plumber, got it all repaired, paid the bill, THEN called my husband. He might have wanted something done differently, maybe a different brand of water heater or some sort of something on the installation, but he understood that I had Old Faithful going in the basement and I did what I had to do. Similarly, he had to get the bathroom renovated/updated at our main house in a hurry, also due to plumbing mishaps, so he got it done. He asked me if I had any color preferences or anything I absolutely could not stand, and then got the supplies and redid the bathroom. I haven't seen it yet, but those who have tell me it is lovely! Even if I wish something was done differently, there would be no point in going there--he did what he had to do at the time!
GatoGirl

[redbellepepper]

LDR can be great because...

it teaches us to communicate better. we know that communication plays a key role for any relationship to succeed. it is a major foundation of a lasting relationship. if we can openly relay what's in our heart and mind, then we can avoid missing the target. less missed targets would mean less heartache and headache. LDR encourages communication because without it, it is impossible to just trust your assumptions. there should be no gray area between you and your SO. in our case, we see to it that things would either be "yes" or "no" to us; there is no "whatever".

it teaches us to value the relationship more. you wouldn't easily let go something that you worked hard for, would you? LDR is no joke. you need hard work to build a relationship with someone who is physically away from you. with my SO, we have been working hard to finally close the distance. for the last half a year we have come across difficulties both emotionally and financially. we worked hard to get through the sticky situations. and as we look back now to where we have been, we can just say that we would always choose to do all things all over again, that we will still choose to hold on to our relationship.

it teaches us to discover the strength within us. LDR are for those people who have discovered the strength to go on each day, fulfilled with love, embraced by joy and overflowing with hope even when his/her SO is half across the universe.

LDR is just amazing!

[DemonxOisin]

Here are the things that I like about being in an LDR:
-I can't see him "playing" a girl who lives 2000 miles away from him :P
-Our decision to be together was not based on looks. Neither one of us wanted an LDR, but as we got closer, it just became inevitable.
-I've learned to communicate like never before. And solve arguments and end conflict.
-I DON'T HAVE TO SHAVE!
-I've developed a whole new level of creativity. Like seriously. It's amazing.
-I would have dropped out of school by now, but thanks to him, I'm working my ass off to get into his university in order to be with him
-I've also become AMAZING at finding quick ways to earn money, and travel cheaply.
- ... I have a huge Mexican fetish, and I was running out of the supply in my hometown LOL
-When we finally close the distance after 2 years of being together... We get to go through the "new couple" phase again xD
-I found this forum! (Which gives me faith in humanity again, you guys are all so understanding, and tolerant of people's views Q.Q)

[krtacka]

Hey guys, I am a new member of this forum, glad to have found people that go trough similar things! I personally thought LD won't work but was surprised then with - not only the fact that it did work, but how well!
My personal bests:
-travelling, we sometimes meet half way and travel around a bit
-getting to know other culture from a close up
-learning a new language
-finally having enough time for me and me only
-not arguing about silly stuff and never being sick of eachother
-learning of patience and appreciation

...and much more, but gotta run now!

[kteire]

There are so many things that make me happy about this relationship, LD or CD
But the benefits of being LD!
-I get to go back to Ireland all the time. (I love this one, I lived there for a year, and have a lot of friends there, and just love the place! I kind of wonder when/if I'd go back so much if not for my SO.)
-Getting to know phrases and words from another country. (My SO uses all these phrases we don't here. And I use phrases he doesn't know. It's a constant source of entertainment.)
-It is nice to have this time to still love him, and still be with my family. (Once we're CD, I'll be far away from them.)
-Not having friends butt in. (We started out CD, and I was living with our mutual close friends. And they were ALWAYS around.)
-Drawing out the honeymoon phase as long as possible
-I love how excited we both get to see each other
-... and how much we appreciate the time we get together
-I have an easier time keeping his presents a secret. (In person, I tell him eeeverything. It's easier to omit present talk over skype, haha)

[BlueCat]

-I love how excited we both get to see each other
-I have an easier time keeping his presents a secret. (In person, I tell him eeeverything. It's easier to omit present talk over skype, haha)

I love the first one there too, it's always one of my favourite moments, yet I always end up crying, lol.
He accidently lets slip with mine anyway, he tries so hard too :P And I don't like knowing surprises!

[milaya]

Overall:
- I love the excitement you feel just before a visit. Nothing can compare to this feeling.
- You really cherish even the short moments you get to share.
- Even a hug, most CD couples takes for granted, can mean the world to you.

- And for me I also think LDRs prove something. I love knowing that there's a person who is willing to buy very expensive flight tickets just to see me. A person who misses me just as much as I miss them. Guess I love knowing I'm not just a "fling" or "pass time" for some guy. Making a LDR work, you really need to love each other.

For my LDR:
- I get free trips to my favorite country in the whole world, Japan. (He pays my trips) XD
- I get to use Japanese almost everyday.

[kteire]

- And for me I also think LDRs prove something. I love knowing that there's a person who is willing to buy very expensive flight tickets just to see me. A person who misses me just as much as I miss them. Guess I love knowing I'm not just a "fling" or "pass time" for some guy. Making a LDR work, you really need to love each other.

I agree with you on that!! My SO was recently invited along on a trip with a group of his guy friends that are going to tour Southeast Asia for a month in the summer. I asked him if he wanted to go, and he said, "Well, I could use up all of my holidays from work to go travel with them, but I really just want to save them up for going somewhere with you." It has been his dream for years to travel around SE Asia and see all the places the lads are going. But this year, he's used all his holidays and a chunk of his savings coming to see me, even cutting short other trips and opting out of some altogether to avoid using any more time off! I don't know why I was so surprised by that, but it makes me very happy

[ClipitsWings]

~my "relationship" couldn't even have started without the distance. i exist in a bit of a shell, and the dynamics of meeting someone and getting into a relationship confound me. with him, it was gradual, sweet, unconscious, and unhurried <3 my favorite accident
~considering an early stage of this was a highschool crush... i love that its more than just someone trying to con me out of my virginity
~i love the solitude of night and the way he amplify how much the dark means to me; all these sunless hours are so perfectly comforting to me
~i absolutely adore it when he sends me messages while i'm asleep; it just makes me smile so much to know he's even thought of me
~nervous as i am, him coming to visit next year has given me something real to look forward to <3 i can't wait to meet him
~he's the perfect excuse to study abroad in Australia (which i've been fascinated by since kiddiedom)
~the whole situation brings to mind new ideas for art and stories for me to explore

of course, being close would be lovely too<3

[BlueCat]

^That's part of what I love about it to, is that it wasn't simply a physical attraction at the start, it was a gradual process through interaction that just happened to work out. The fact that he's attracted to me physically is certainly a bonus though, haha.

Also, having time to pursue my hobbies is good, whenever he's not online and it's a nice day, I can go out walking, looking for birds. It works out nicely