The Comfy Corner

"Okay, when we hang up I'm gonna text you to let you know when I'm on Skype. And if Skype is being finicky, I'll call you and we can talk on the phone while we're Skyping. And I'll send you an email later tonight about that thing we were talking about. And I sent you a card. It is in the mail. Love you!" Ever had a conversion like this with your long distance significant other? I have. Keeping a long distance relationship breathing is not an easy task and one would think that with so many ways of communicating nowadays long distance would be über easy, right? Wrong. I think it actually makes it harder. So I give myself some simple guidelines.

1) Skype - Skype is a wonderful, amazing thing. And it is keeping long distance relationships alive all over the country! But if it is used every single day (or multiple times a day) it can start to feel obligatory and can lose its power. And it is such a cocktease because you can see the person, but when you reach out to touch them you touch a plastic screen. It's depressing!!! Virtual love, yuck. So I think Skype should be used only when you really need to see your boo's face. So save it for those über-lonely nights. It's also so finicky that it can get annoying always being like, "What did you say? You froze." 

2) Texts - Texting is best used for those little, sweet nothings. There is nothing better than getting a "<3" in the middle of the day for no reason. This is true for family and friends too. I love getting a "miss you" or a "just had coffee ice cream and thought of you" text. What it shouldn't be used for is lengthy descriptions of how your day is going. I hate texting paragraphs.

3) Phone - The phone is probably my go-to. I like hearing my boo's voice, ya know? It comforts me. Especially, before I go to bed so that I get a "good night." Best way to end a day. But, like Skype, it should never become an obligatory thing. I hate those awkward phone convos when nothing really exciting happened since the last time you talked (yesterday) but you have to stay on the phone because you agreed to talk on the phone on a regularly scheduled basis. It ends up being, "So... how is the weather there?" And I cringe when I hear people say things like, "Sarah's boyfriend has called her like four times today and my boyfriend has only texted me once." So limit it to when you actually have something to talk about.

4) Email - I kinda love emails. But, that isn't really news to those who know me. I obviously like writing. And I like being able to edit things and make them say exactly what I want them to say. I think emails are good when you have a conflict to resolve. Because you can take time and think about how you really feel and put it into words. That is difficult to do on the phone.

5) Missive - There is nothing better nowadays than getting mail that isn't a bill or junk mail. Getting a funny/loving card from a significant other is probably one of my favorite things. Letters and cards take time and effort and when your boo is putting in effort for you, that feels good.

So, whether your boo is right beside you, miles away, or if you're still searching for a boo, stay comfy y'all.