Miles Apart: Long-Distance Love :

The phone rings and she rushes to pick it up; she checks her email a half-dozen times a day and waits for the mailman to deliver a love letter from her sweetheart. It’s not easy, but she’s going to make this long-distance love last.

They’ll make it work while he’s overseas. They didn’t choose this war, but they chose to keep their relationship alive while he fights for causes he’s unsure of, knowing only that he’s got his love worrying and waiting until they can be reunited.

This is a common scenario with the turmoil in the Middle East having no foreseeable end. According to an announcement by The Department of Defense, approximately 138,000 soldiers were rotated through Iraq during mid- to late 2006. Families were be separated by thousands of miles.There's a difference between being single and being alone, just as there's a difference between being alone and being lonely. Anyone who’s been in a long-distance relationship knows this all too well.

Luckily for the hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers and their families, improvements in communication technologies have made traversing an ocean to see newborns possible via webcam and talking to wives and girlfriends on the telephone or computer less costly.

There’s a whole new bag of obstacles to overcome in a long-distance relationship, but there may also be some benefits. One study at Purdue University reports that, contrary to popular beliefs, long-distance relationships can be more stable than geographically close ones because separated partners put more effort into staying involved in each other’s lives, have fewer trivial arguments and are more open with communication.

Beyond fewer arguments and more communication, long-distance relationships can have long-term benefits when the couple finally comes together. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder. That’s what they say, anyway.

“Long-distance relationships are more focused on the romantic love phase of courtship that can lead to greater reserves of love and intimacy once they are reunited,” says New York Times bestselling author and sex and relationship expert, Dr. Ian Kerner.

With technology advancements like webcams, e-mails, text messages, instant messages and more reliable phone networks, it’s increasingly easy to stay in touch with your distant love. You will never know if it will work if you don’t try, but before you do, there are several challenges to consider.

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