Absences are a good influence in love and keep it bright and delicate.

Being together constantly can wear the edges off affection. Time apart gives each person room to miss the other, to notice what they value, and to come back with something new to share. A little distance keeps love from becoming mere habit.

Not every absence is chosen, and some are simply painful; being apart from someone you love because of work, illness or circumstance is hard. Where you do have a choice, though, time spent separately need not be a threat. Consider whether you and someone close to you would benefit from a little more of your own lives, and more to say when you meet.