I certainly agree with her that entering a relationship requires a leap of faith. And of course, we do not plunge blindly into a relationship. Not plunging blindly, that leads us to the question, “How do we know we have found the right person?” I believe this is one question which many people asked.

I did bungee jump a few years back. Some of my friends said I must be crazy to try it. Maybe I was crazy back then; but I knew it is one of the things which I want to try once in my life. I digressed. Taking bungee jump too requires a leap of faith. However, I did not take the plunge blindly.

From Wikipedia, “Despite the inherent danger of jumping from a great height, several million successful jumps have taken place since 1980. This is attributable to bungee operators rigorously conforming to standards and guidelines governing jumps, such as double checking calculations and fittings for every jump.” I knew that nothing would go wrong; I had faith in the people handling my jump. Some would be worried if their heart can take it. Frankly, that was the last question on my mind, because my natural intuition told me somehow that I could take it. Everything is history now.

While bungee jumping is not for everyone, entering into a relationship can be for everyone - as long as one do not give up on loving. However, like bungee jumping, entering into a relationship requires us to take that leap of faith in another person. Often people would ask, “how do we know we have found the right one?” The answer is, “We wouldn’t know for sure.”

There is no way I can tell you how you would know if you have found the right one. Since we wouldn’t know for sure, we have to take chances to get to know the other person better. While we are ‘exploring,’ we must be on the look out for signs and tune in to our intuition. The signs and our intuition are there to help us to determine if the person is the right one.

Much as we must have faith in our intuition, trusting our intuition may not provide the 100% guarantee that we have found the right one also. Our intuition can help us but it can work against us also. At time, what starts nicely can still end up horribly. The challenge with bad relationship is learning to let go.

When we see the goodness from a relationship but not ignoring the warnings from signs and our intuition, we will be able to take the leap of faith and take the plunge with confidence.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I’m writing about my personal experience is Love. It’s such a mushy idea and yet so strong that it can conquer all differences and the vast distance separating two persons deeply devoted to each other. But sometimes, Love just ain’t enough. You can either see it as ‘There isn’t enough LOVE to see you through it all‘ or ‘Love is not enough to pull the two of you closer and part the seas separating you.’

LDR lives on thanks to modern technology. Yes, Internet helps more than the telephone. In this age, we are glad there are Skype, MSN messenger and every single chat function on Facebook, Gmail and Yahoo. We, the survivors of LDR, are grateful for the existence of Internet!

LDR basically works like any other relationship. You chat with each other over the silliest and mushiest things, you go on dates (when you see each other) or on virtual dates and you send each other kisses (minus the physical contact). For anyone who thinks that physical intimacy is vital in a relationship then he will not even try a LDR. Because sooner or later, he will cheat on her (physically or mentally).

I guess the best part of LDR is you will get lots of breathing space. You are free to do whatever you want as long as you keep your virtual dates in mind. You won’t have the problem of a sticky girlfriend or boyfriend. I guess it’s a great way for both parties to grow and mature enough to handle such a relationship.

At the end of it all, LDR is really painful. Communication is key. Yes, we all know that but you need to communicate on the right issues. Are you ready to commit to that someone? LDR means one or the other has to compromise, that is, he or she has to move from his or her current location in order for it to work ultimately. This is easier said than done since most of the time, family and/or work can play an important role. Well, all I can say is, every single person is different, every LDR is different. Love can conquer everything but do you let it?

*Special Thanks to Sher from Ur Resident Chef for this guest post. Sher is a very long time friend and from whom I learned a great deal about dreams, love, commitment and passion.

Photo from barunpatro

Thank you also to PinkLady from Of Living and Loving… and Coping for passing me the Humane Award. It is truly my honor.