Same place, same time... the outcome??

Once upon a time I had this friend - I don't remember exactly HOW we know each other but we do. Over the course of about four years we got to know each other mostly over e-mail. There were arguments and disagreements - just like any friendship, but there were also intimate times full of "I feel like I know you really well - I wish we were in the same place at the same time!" Over the years, we went through bouts of not talking followed by longer periods of time with amazing communication. My friend has always been in the back of my mind - always.

The other day, I was talking to a friend who posed a problem to me with person she's been dating. They went to college together and dated but broke up shortly after college ended. While on a business trip, she bumped into her long-lost love very randomly. After an exchange of pleasantries, he asked her out and they've been together for a year ... all long distance. She tells me that through the years, they kept in touch through e-mail but she never thought she'd see him again. He was always in the back of her mind. Her problem: HE WAS ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF HER MIND. He used to e-mail her with words that made her feel warm and fuzzy inside and confided in her that he regretted breaking her heart.

Lately, they've been having problems. Where does a relationship go when two people are in different places (physically) but in the same place (emotionally)? Do you wait it out until someone gives in and either moves or breaks up with you? She asked for my advice and all I could think was "holy sh*t, my friend and I are in the same place (location wise) at the same time and nothing is happening!!!" While most people would tell my friend that communication and friendship are KEY in ANY relationship - I was blunt and said "do you want to move?" Her response was "in this economy?? Are you crazy? How would I find another job??"

When it came down to it, I told her that based on her response to a simple question she had TWO choices: stick it out because she has the second chance that most people would kill for OR break up with him and find someone closer to home. The reality is simple: he's been in the back of her mind since graduation - why give up on that? She spent years comparing him to other men she's dated and those relationships have floundered because of this. He spent countless e-mails apologizing and admitting that he loved her BEFORE they got re-acquainted. Why give up on it? If there is a will, there is a way and they may have found a way to work things out.

My theory on long distance relationships is this: you can live down the street from your significant other and never see them. You can be living with them and have different schedules. However, living in two different cities forces you to either move along with things and figure out if this person is right for you or try to find someone closer in proximity. It's all in what you make of it - if you spend years with that person in the back of your mind, your answer should be pretty clear.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right ... has anyone ever experienced this?