The effects of distance…

Before you take that job that keeps you away from your loved ones for weeks at a time, before you assume that a long distance relationship will work, before you move to a bigger house in a nearby town and think that you still will be able to maintain your friendships with your previous neighbors—think again: the odds are likely that your assumptions will not come to pass. Sometimes, marriages work and relationships are maintained, but my experience is that usually they do not survive the effects of loss of daily contact. The purpose of this aphorism is to attune a person to the real, and often profound, impacts that distance can have on our attachments. A person may have no choice but to change their situation, but they should never do so without their eyes open. This way, they can properly say goodbye…or take concerted steps to bridge the gulf that likely will develop.