Day 226 - Distance and Time

Distance and Time

While I didn’t necessarily feel this song when I first listened to it, I gave it another shot the other day, and I think I can appreciate it much more now. I have talked to a few people recently who are dealing with long distance relationships, and I am dedicating this blog to them. I may even blog about long distance relationships in the near future, so stay tuned… For now, enjoy this selection by Alicia Keys.

This song is dedicated to all the lovers who can’t be together – separated by distance and time.
“You are always on my mind. All I do is count the days. Where are you now? No, I’ll never let you down. I will never go away.” This song starts with a line that I believe is universally true in any caring relationship – the fact that the object of your care occupies a fair amount of your mental space. And in any caring relationship, there can be great anticipation of the moments when the two loved ones can reconnect. The difference in a long distance relationship is that the moments between meetings are longer, and so the sense of missing the person can be of a much deeper depth. And the feelings of desire and longing can deepen the emotional connection, because the physical is not able to be expressed. This can produce deeper senses of loyalty and commitment, as the push to make things work can be increased because of the miles.
“I really wish that you would stay but what will we do? All the days that you’ve been gone, I dream about you. And I anticipate the day that you will come home. No matter how far you are, no matter how long it takes him. Through distance and time, I’ll be waiting. And if you have to walk a million miles, I’ll wait a million days to see you smile. Distance and time – I’ll be waiting.” The chorus seems to allude to a day of togetherness, wishing that her love could stay, but the distance must once again separate them for whatever reason. But the distance between them doesn’t keep him from her mind or her heart. She anticipates his return, and she vows to wait for it. It doesn’t seem to matter if he is on the opposite end of the earth or if it will take 5 years, she is willing to wait. As long as he is making his way to her, she is willing to await his arrival. Now, I’m under no illusions that such waiting and dedication are easy. I personally cringe at the idea of a long distance relationship, because I know how I am about being close. But it seems as if the relationship that she has with her love makes the distance and the time almost irrelevant in the face of how she feels about him. Whatever they have is strong enough that she is willing to wait to see him again.
“Will you take a train to meet me where I am? Are you on your way? And I will never do anything to hurt you. I’ll never live without you.” As she waits, she watches for him. For her, it doesn’t matter how he gets back to her as long as the distance between them is closed sooner rather than later. And because the relationship is so precious and she cares as much as she does, she desires to do whatever she can to make it work and not cause anything to disrupt the relationship’s beauty. It seems that she recognizes the rarity and the importance of the shared moments (whether it’s communicating or in person), so she is putting her love into action and loving him in ways that would keep her from hurting him. And she has made the decision that, despite how far away they are, she doesn’t want him to not be a part of her life. She is strongly committed to making this work, and distance and time will not be the factors that end their relationship.