Unsponsored Content: The great american eclipse

Unsponsored Content: The Great American Eclipse
Collin Wheeler
I’ve been trying to write this particular piece for about 3 months now, but I’ve had a bit of a writer’s block. Yesterday’s eclipse was a perfect muse and way to hopefully turn my thoughts into words.
“We’ve Reached Maximum Totality!” yelled the ecstatic 14 year old boy about 40 feet away from us. We had been listening to him blurt out facts for the previous hour, some true, some made up, while the sun slowly disappeared. When that Appalachian Mountain ridge finally transcended into it’s midday darkness the crickets started chirping, the air was cool, and the sky was grey. We didn’t say anything, we just listened, until the neighboring Jr. Ranger in training abruptly shouted “That’s it, it’s over now.” Everyone around us picked up their belongings, and began the short hike back to the parking lot. The same people that had been sitting there for hours, packed up just moments after totality ended. The sky wasn’t even fully illuminated yet. We hung around for about 15 more minutes to give some space between us and the mass exitus. Allie, Olin, and I headed back down the mountain road while listening to NPR. Eclipser’s from all over the country we’re calling in discussing what they had just witnessed, how it changed their lives forever, how it was even “better than sex.”

I laid in bed that night thinking about life and the 10 month identity crisis I’ve been unable to escape. Cliché, I know. Que the Counting Crows album.

For as long as I remember, I have told myself that I will never work a 9-5, get stuck in a cubicle, or have to fight for a window in the workplace. A hard promise to make for someone that doesn’t have a trust fund or credit card bills that magically disappear at the end of each month. After a long, long year I guess you can say that is true. (summary of said events, can be found ​here) I work from 7:30 - 5:00 in a 10x15 ft office with a coworker where we share a 3 foot tall by 2 foot tall window overlooking a methadone clinic, between our desks. I started out with the company as a Marketing Coordinator and 8 months later I was promoted to my current title, Marketing Manager. I spend my days writing, creating, and strategizing campaigns, among many other things, for an Amusement & Attractions company. With a degree in Recreation Management and minor in Marketing, 7 years experience in the Outdoor Industry, and 2 summers worth of experience mountain bike guiding. If you’re scratching your head, don’t worry, I am too. I’ve ridden my bike an embarrassingly minuscule amount of times this summer.
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“We’ve Reached Maximum Totality” just as the eager mountainside kid yelled a mere 24 hours ago, the true can be said about life.
“We have a 4 month old Daughter, it’s normal to slow down a bit right now”
“We’re in a transition period, we’re figuring things out.”
“I’m building my resume and portfolio, getting great experience.”
“Our lease is up in December, then we can really make something happen”
These are all sweet nothings that I tell myself to make it through the day. The reality of it is that life took a very unexpected turn. We were lucky to be able to land on our feet but, we’re not cut out for this suburban lifestyle. Being stuck inside a mostly windowless warehouse 9 hours a day, 5 days a week is absolute torture. Every thought, conversation, and argument has us dreaming and scheming of a way out of this sedimentary lifestyle. Hell, we even have a countdown to the day our lease is over, hanging on our bedroom wall.

What comes after that? Well, nothing is set in stone, nothing ever really is, but we’re itching to make something different happen. 

Article may also be viewed: ​https://www.tetongravity.com/story/adventure/unsponsored-content-the-great-american-eclipse1