Levi Meyer

When I journeyed across the state of Wyoming and arrived here in Grand Junction, I knew the world around me was going to appear very different.
My lush queen-sized bed at home had been replaced by a cozy, twin-sized slab of concrete. The self-proclaimed “jacked” jocks of high school had been substituted by boisterous, bulging behemoths of brawn (and brains – they are collegiate athletes after all).
Even my dear, loving mother looked less like a sweet, independent midwestern woman and more like a scruffy, deep-voiced sophomore who figuratively wore “RA” on his forehead as if it were the scarlet letter. Unfortunately, there are certain changes that leave me even more unsettled than the thought of a mustache-wearing college student becoming my new mother. Each day that passes is another day that I will have to spend 530 miles from my girlfriend.
Believe me, I’m not some melodramatic, hopeless romantic with rose-tinted contact lenses. I’m a man. I appreciate brutal honesty and insensitivity in its largest doses. When I say that each day is a new day without my girlfriend, I’m not inferring that as each sun sets, another dagger pierces my lonely, aching heart. However, when days turn into weeks, I begin to really miss seeing my special someone.
I’m often asked why I don’t end the relationship and begin to look for a college girlfriend. After all, I’m a college boy who should find the “thrill of the chase” exhilarating. I could potentially “hit this” and “hit that” until I’m Mesa State maroon in the face. Yet I’m still in my long distance relationship. Why? What makes me spend 50 bucks on gas every couple weeks to see my girlfriend? Why do I spend hours texting, phone-calling, and Skyping with a girl who lives hundreds of miles away? I can’t explain it logically. It just feels right. Being with my girlfriend feels right.
Not the Marvin Gaye kind of “feels right.” When something feels right, logic is irrelevant. Even with 530 miles and two tanks of gas between us, our relationship makes perfect sense.
Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?
I wouldn’t dare to try and convince anyone that long distance relationships are always the right choice. It would be easier to convince my mom that M.I.P. stands for “Majoring in Psychology.” But if one has a gut feeling that he should defy mountains and deserts to stay with his girlfriend in a long distance relationship, why would he throw emotional signals by the wayside and replace them with logic?
Sorry math majors, but I’ve never seen a single thriving and loving relationship where every predicament is solved in a logical manner. Whether the relationship is ended or continued, the decision should be based on how each member of the couple feels about the relationship. Need not the odds of failure or the amount of time apart. If it feels right, chances are it is right.
Even after spilling my views on emotions, I promise I’m a man. I like fantasy football, slapstick comedy and Tucker Max. However, I find emotions to be a very powerful force. Emotions are the foundation of any healthy relationship – whether it is a relationship with a family member, friend, or a significant other. That’s why I’ll put in my rose tinted contact lenses and tune in to my sensitive side – because with a lack of emotional awareness, I may not be with my special someone at all. That almost scares me more than my new scruffy mother.