Listen in on Maggie and Christopher, who after years of dating online, never in person, finally met in person. If you’ve ever been hesitant to share your burdens with a loved one, this conversation beautifully touches on not only the source of that worry, but ways to overcome it. They discuss the long distance nature of their early relationship and lack of daily physical contact and offer a unique insight into what a relationship really is. What do we carry of our partners that becomes part of us? How much of that is based on our physical relationship and our proximity? Maggie and Christopher share an insightful conversation about balancing their love with the ever-important need to grow and develop on their own. 

FROM THE EPISODE:

CHRISTOPHER: If you could go back to the first time we met, what advice would you give yourself regarding our relationship? 

MAGGIE: We were young. I don't even think I ever thought, “am I ready to be in a relationship?” We just went in it...We had to grow separately, without each other knowing sometimes.

CHRISTOPHER: Honestly, if you're in a unit, that unit isn't going to work if the two people aren’t content themselves, if they're not okay with themselves.

MAGGIE: So I think I would say [to myself] “girl, you're young!” and when we're younger, we just accept a lot of things for what they are and just move, without thinking,

CHRISTOPHER: I think young people accept and romanticize a lot of things about relationships.

MAGGIE: It’s not just flowers all the time. It’s crying. It’s being upset and mad. It's getting over it and through stuff. When do you think I need you the most and why?

CHRISTOPHER: When something's going on. It's not that I think you *need* me, but I know it'd be nice to have something else to focus on, some other energy, as opposed to certain things completely compounding at once. Maybe I could take some of that away, sing a jingle… When have you seen me the most vulnerable and what have you learned from it?

MAGGIE: I just don't like thinking about it, but it was that night when you were just feeling really bad. Hold on…I ain't crying… You just think you're a bad person sometimes, and you're not... And that night... You were just very vulnerable ,,, and alone. And you already know how I feel about being alone with your thoughts and not sharing them. I just learned from that night to always check up, even if you seem like you're doing fine.

CHRISTOPHER: I’m good…

MAGGIE: You always say that though. That's what I'm saying… 

CHRISTOPHER: I learned a lot from that. I know I'm not a bad person, as humans, we carry that…we carry the flip side. So I guess that was my hardest thing to deal with is wanting to be this version of myself that I want to be, but then seeing all the effects of the other side of myself. But I'm good…

MAGGIE: What am I always carrying that I should let go of?

CHRISTOPHER: I think just the way other people around you affect you. I think you should not hang on to that. Just let it go. I feel like there's a better way to say that though, because it's not necessarily what they think, but like the way other people's energy affects you. Cause it can linger. Once you got that out the way, man, you're a bird, you can fly all the way up there and just go…

MAGGIE: I definitely agree. 

CHRISTOPHER: What do you admire most about me?

MAGGIE: I admire your confidence a lot and your drive. I think that's what is most of your energy. It's just, “let's just go do it. Let's do it right now”. Your drive and your confidence in yourself and your thoughts and your morals and your beliefs, and just being like a nice example of energy. 

CHRISTOPHER: That was beautifully said. Wow. “A nice example of energy.” You might have to write that down somewhere.

MAGGIE: I got it.

CHRISTOPHER: Wow. Thank you.