Open when letters
25 open when letters for a long-distance relationship
Distance makes the small things harder: saying goodnight at the same time, hugging at the end of a long day, knowing what your partner’s street looks like. These letters fill a few of those gaps.
A few tips
- Hand over a batch at the end of a visit, so the first days apart already have something waiting.
- International mail can be slow. Send several at once rather than one at a time.
- Write a few for the time zones: one for their morning, one for their night.
Before and after visits
The goodbyes and the countdowns.
Open when you’re packing to see me
Write a checklist of things to bring, ending with the sweater of yours they always steal.
Open when your flight takes off
Write something to read in the air: a memory, a plan for the first night, a terrible joke.
Open when you land
Tell them you’re probably already at arrivals, grinning.
Open when we just said goodbye at the airport
Say what you’ll do tonight to feel close, and when your next call is.
Open when the countdown hits ten days
List ten tiny things to do, one for each day left.
Open when you’re unpacking after a visit
Write down a favorite moment from the visit while it’s still fresh.
Open when we book the next visit
Write the first three things you want to do together.
Open when a visit gets canceled
Plan a call date to replace it, down to the snacks you’ll both have.
Across time zones
For when one of you is waking up and the other is winding down.
Open when it’s my morning and your night
Write the goodnight you’d say if you weren’t asleep.
Open when you wake up and I’m asleep
Leave a good morning they can read before your reply arrives.
Open when the time difference feels unfair
Remind them of a moment the distance made you appreciate them more.
Open when you’re eating dinner and I’m having breakfast
Suggest a meal you could share on a video call at your two different times of day.
Open when you want to know about my day
Write a play by play of an ordinary day in your city.
Open when we fall asleep on a call
Write what you hope they dream about.
Open when you want to see where I am
Describe your walk to work or the view from your window, so they can picture it.
Open when we haven’t talked properly in days
Ask three questions you want to cover on your next long call.
Open when you’re homesick for us
Plan the first ordinary evening you’ll have when you live in the same place.
Missing each other
For the days the distance feels longest.
Open when you’re in our favorite café without me
Order for them: write what you’d get and where you’d sit.
Open when you see a couple holding hands
Tell them which hand you’d hold and what you’d be talking about.
Open when you need to feel close tonight
Pick a movie to start at the same time, and say what you’d whisper during the best part.
Open when you want something in my handwriting
Copy out a favorite poem or song lyric by hand.
Open when you’re having a bad day far from home
Write the comfort you’d give in person, and the first thing you’ll do together when you’re back.
Open when people ask how we make it work
Write your answer, so they can say it out loud with a smile.
Open when the distance feels long
Count the things you’ve already got through together, and name what you’re looking forward to.
Open when we finally close the distance
Write a letter for the day you live in the same place: what you hope stays exactly the same.