Video Chat: Friend/Enemy

It's way easier to communicate while living together in the same home. When you are 8,000 miles apart, it can be a struggle . When far away from each other the best way to communicate in my mind is by video calls. Sometimes even that can be fun when the internet is not working properly. You can get funny pictures when the screen freezes or a nice picture like the one above. Anyway, Video chatting is both a friend and an enemy. Let me explain. It is your best friend, one, because everyday you get to see the love of your life. I love it when I get to spend time with her and Ella this way. Sometimes it feels like I'm right there with them in the same room. Really, it's my favorite time of the day.

Two, It's way more beneficial than texts or messages, yet those are also great. Face to face is always more beneficial in my mind. Texts can be misread. You don't always know the person's tone or expression, you just see the words. Your mind has to imagine or assume the person's expressions. That's one reason why emojis exist. Even so, emojis are not always helpful. It is true once you get to know a person well, you can read their texts well. I hear my wife's voice when I read her text messages, and I can usually tell how she is feeling. Yet I still get it wrong sometimes in a text. However, I can always tell how my wife is doing in a video chat. In a video chat I can see the expression on her face, the tone of her voice, her energy level, and her mood in general. That always helps me communicate better to her. Video chat is wonderful when you are having serious conversations or discussing plans or saying sorry. You can see each other thinking, crying, agreeing, etc.. It is also wonderful for fun conversations. You can see them laugh, smile, hear them giggle, and see expressions that you just can't write.

Why is it an enemy? Well, first, you can see your loved one but you can't hug them, kiss them, or hold there hand. So sometimes it makes you miss them more. I know many times I just want to give my little family a hug or cuddle up next to my wife but there is a screen in the way. When my wife is feeling sad I would love to just hold her. When my wife is sick, I want to go through the screen to serve her. Again, the annoying screen is in the way. Second, the internet doesn't always work. So in the middle of a conversation you sometimes get cut off. Then you call back, but then the connection is slow. After a while of disconnection and call back you forget what you were talking about. It can get frustrating fast.

Even with the downfalls in video chat, I think it is still the best way to communicate in a long distance relationship. Without it, it would be much more difficult. So today I thank God that I was not born in the 1800's when it could take months to get a letter from your loved one. I'm thankful that I get to see my little family daily. I love that I get to experience my wife's voice, hear her attractive laugh, see her beautiful smile, and be with her in the Philippines everyday. I love that I get to see little Ella play, kiss mommy, and sing her ABCs. What are your thoughts about video chatting? Also what's your favorite one to use, Facebook , Viber, Skype, or something else? contact us: lovebreaksthedistance@hotmail.com

#Longdistance