A common misconception that I’ve heard about long distance relationships is that the participants are settling- that for whatever reason, they can’t find someone to be together with in their own area, and so they settle for someone who lives not quite as close.
It’s my opinion that we’re doing the exact opposite- not settling, but rather reaching. Reaching for the person that you want to be with so badly, that you’d devote hours of your time to them, despite little to no physical contact. Reaching for the hope that someday you can be together and show to the world that it was worth the effort.