A Million Reasons: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’ve never really given this much thought until I had the pleasure of acquiring a boyfriend that lives out of state and the misfortune of discovering that I’m allergic to gluten. To some, this idea may seem very familiar and straightforward. To others, like me, you may be thinking that this idea is purely designed to make you miss something you wouldn’t otherwise miss. But I am here to tell you that at times this idea becomes the rule, and everything experienced contrary to this rule is merely an exception.

Boyfriends. Oh, gentlemanly boyfriends. This is definitely a case of the heart growing fonder due to their absence. Right, ladies? But seriously, men and women alike can attest to this. When he or she’s away there’s none of the “come hang out with me” nonsense when you need to study for a test. You don’t have to worry about spending the extra cash when your signi-o (significant other, it’s the new hip lingo) “forgets” their cash. For those with aversions to drama, the long distance option is definitely less dramatic. The less face talk, the less drama. You also don’t have to worry about losing the quality time you spend playing video games and reading reddit.  Worrying about convincing your signi-o that you enjoy their company but the new Batman game just came out doesn’t have to happen.

To address the gluten-free topic I mentioned earlier: I learned too long ago that I have a gluten allergy. Breads, pastas, and pastries are no longer my friends. As the years go by without these items I realize how dearly I miss them. Anytime I see someone eating a donut I wish I could jump onto their chests and eat the last glistening remnants of donut residue off their shirts. When I see someone enjoying a particularly delightful, wheaty-gluten-soaked morsel I have to restrain myself from taking him or her by the collar and yelling at the top of my lungs, “be grateful for it, one day it’ll be gone!”

Who misses their childhood? I know I do. Oh, how I long for the days when my bangs were in a continuous state of unevenness. Those glorious days when all I worried about was the world ending and monsters in my closet. Now I’m left to worry about my impending doom as an adult. I will never again be the careless child that ran around outside barefoot regardless of stickers, ants, tetanus, or broken glass. Long gone are the days when wearing velcro light up shoes was acceptable and carrying a thermos was not only necessary but also socially acceptable.

Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder; when I was little I remember constantly wishing I could grow up. Now that I’m technically classified as “grown up,” I wish for the days when I was little and able to ask my mom to rock me to sleep and sort out my boogers with a booger sucker (aspirator).

Regardless of what or who is in your life that you find you appreciate more the longer they’re gone, I urge you to continue appreciating the simpler things in life. Because one day you may find that your singi-o has moved in with you, or that you’re allergic to the very thing you found your body dependent on, or you’ve become a full-fledged adult.