After the Rain: Gentle Reminders for Healing, Courage, and Self-Love

by Alexandra Elle

being apart was laborious and a true test of patience and understanding. Being long distance took a lot of work and commitment, but looking back, it was beyond good for us. We learned how to communicate and keep in touch emotionally. When we weren’t together, we made time for one another despite the 3,500 miles and three-hour time difference. Even when there were days when nurturing our love felt too difficult to manage, we stayed the course because of our belief in one another. I had moments of defeat and wanting to give up, especially when there was conflict in the air, but he wouldn’t let me walk away. He had grown to know my fears and patterns, and instead of being impatient with me, he loved me harder. Ryan taught me how to relax and relinquish control. We would either work or we wouldn’t, and that precariousness made me extremely uncomfortable, but like rapper Nipsey Hussle said to his wife, Lauren, you don’t possess people, you experience them. Looking at love from that angle is something that took us years to learn through trial and error.