https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/44e0285ae2bed368011622161ebe147c.pdf 691f089a68f06e47541a661407293826 PDF Text Text Maxwell von Gunten Non-Fiction My first long term relationship had just ended, and I had spent a majority of my adolescence living in that reality. My young heart panged because it felt like it needed someone to fill the supposed void of solidarity. As a part of Gen-Z, I of course went to my phone to find the answers I thought I needed. In this age of technology we have been introduced to a myriad of new apps that are supposed to help us navigate our everyday lives. From supporting our local couch potato with food delivery straight to his door, the dictionary and encyclopedia embedded in every phone, and finally the new age way to fall in love.. .Tinder. The mindless activity of swiping through our social media feed has now been transformed into a zombified love connection. We put the best versions of ourselves into these tiny boxes to be judged with the hope that true love will swipe our way—and for a couple extra bucks our odds may be greater. As I watched this version of love connection sweep across my friend groups and even after dipping my toes into this pool of love, I found it to be quite empty with shallow connections. The dates I had with the women I matched with always lacked substance. They of course had no fear behind a screen and keyboard, but when sitting face to face with them they were void of any life. 1 asked one of my dates, "If you could live anywhere other than the U.S. where would you live?” Thinking a simple hypothetical question would get some engagement, she coldly replied, "Ummmm, I don’t know. I realty don’t have a reason to leave.” Where was the Imagination?! I didn't go on any more Tinder dates after that. After that brief experience I returned to the dating pool in the real world. The pain that infected my heart had begun to subside, and I was beginning to accept the single life I was living. I didn't think I needed to introduce another element into my life. Then without realizing I had slowly started growing closer to a friend that had been by my side for many years, Jane was her name. She was freshly heartbroken and was planning on running away to see the world again after freeing herself from the chains of a relationship. For one reason or another, she decided the world could wait, and we slowly started our dance stepping on one another's toes as we explored this new found connection. It had only been three months since we had started this experiment with each other, and Jane had proposed we take a road trip to visit my brother.. .in Michigan. We lived in Casper, Wyoming, and that was a 20 hour drive. I was surprised she was willing to lock herself in a metal can with me for so many hours. XLVl Sxf'iession Magazine. �Reconnect The day of departure finally came that summer, and as the sun rose casting its golden hues across the vast expanse of Wyoming while we loaded up the trunk of our car, excitement tingled in the air like static. The road stretched before us, a ribbon of endless possibility, and with each passing mile marker, we would unravel the layers of our budding romance. We were both stepping into uncharted territory, our relationship still in its infancy, yet brimming with the promise of adventures yet to come. As the wheels hummed beneath us, our conversations ebbed and flowed like the rolling plains outside our windows. We quickly passed through the Rocky Mountains and entered into the corn filled plains of Nebraska. Once in Husker territory, the mind numbing landscape of the flatlands removed most, if not all, of our filters in the conversations. She tested the waters and asked me, “Do you want me to come visit you while you are in Laramie?” After that summer I was going to move to the University of Wyoming, and she was clearly skeptical of the idea of distance being a part of the relationship. I replied, "Yeah, of course. It’s not far away at all so I’d love to have you come visit me anytime you wanted." It didn't seem tike my answer truly satisfied the thoughts she had bouncing around her head. She dug further, “Are you sure you don’t just want to be a free single boy in college? Because I don’t want to take those experiences away from you." It became clear that this conversation was going to determine the strength of the relationship we were entering. I carefully told her, “You are everything that I value in a partner. You give me the freedom to be myself and communicate with me about difficult topics like this. It’s hard to find that these days with the instant gratification that Tinder and social media creates in relationships.” Jane nodded and let the silence and limitless view wash over her as she placed her hand on mine. Of course the 1-80 drive through Nebraska seemed eternal, but as the sky and clouds began changing into brilliant shades of pink and orange we had just crossed the Nebraska border and entered into Iowa. That night we camped just outside Des Moines. After a game of cribbage we laid down in our sleeping bags as the brook babbled behind our tent and the frogs groaned in the humid night. I caught myself smiling, it was a joy to have someone so real and honest in the pursuit of a relationship. The connection I had been looking for was right there in front of me all along—I just had to put the phone down. 64th EdltianUte’iatn'ie XLVIi � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Print Magazine Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Reconnect Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <div class="element-text"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <p><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="dublin-core-rights" class="element"> <div class="element-text"> <div id="dublin-core-rights" class="element"> <div class="element-text five columns offset-by-two"> <div id="dublin-core-rights" class="element"> <div class="element-text five columns offset-by-two"> <div id="dublin-core-rights" class="element"> <div class="element-text five columns offset-by-two"> <p><em>Expression</em><span>&nbsp;</span>claims first North American rights to submissions selected for publication. All rights revert back to the author/artist after publication.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 2024 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Maxwell von Gunten Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. <div id="dublin-core-is-part-of" class="element"> <div class="element-text">Expression Literary and Arts Magazine, CCA 04.ii.c.2022.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections.</div> </div> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 04.ii.c.2022.01_Exp_2024_Prose_05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Casper College