If you’ve ever had this conversation with a friend, then you’re quite familiar with the long-distance relationship scenario: “I met someone” your friend confides. You perk up, excited to learn who your friend’s involved with, “That’s great!” you congratulate, “Who?” Your friend hesitates before taking a breath and delicately responds, “You don’t know them.” Another uncomfortable pause before your friend agonizingly draws out the phrase, “It’s long-distance.” You deflate, your interest lowers significantly, and you start to question your friend’s sensibility. You almost ache for your friend, and all you can muster up is a soft “oh.”

Many equate long-distance relationships to no relationship. I’m sure the majority of readers would agree: “it’s all online!” “you barely see them!” “you can’t touch them!” All are true, but does that invalidate the feelings two people have for each other? Google defines relationship as “the way in which two or more people or things are connected.” Whether they are connected by love or animosity, it is a relationship, an intimate connection shared by two people. However, it is the romantic relationships that are discriminated against; there’s the double-standard of long-distance friendships being more sensible and doable rather than long-distance relationships. What is it about romantic relationships being long-distance that has people running for the hills?

Long-distance relationships bloom from a number of situations: an unexpected move, a nice comment leading to a conversation, simply meeting someone online and finding out they’re out-of-state (in some cases, out of the country!), etc. For a variety of reasons, the contact is maintained and eventually develops into something with more weight. Two people enjoy each other’s company and are happy with the way they’re receiving it, whether it’s on Skype, Kik, Twitter, Instagram, or anything through social media. Neighboring cities or neighboring countries, two very real people have a very real connection. Others won’t see the hype, but the couple passionately feels it. There’s nothing wrong with looking outside your five-mile radius.

We live in a world of seven billion people, do you really think “the one” will always be conveniently within your vicinity?