Swipe Right or Leave It Alone? | Everyday is a Story - Shannon Cason's Homemade

Podcast Summary: "Swipe Right or Leave It Alone?" – Shannon Cason's Homemade

Episode Date: March 23, 2026
Host: Shannon Cason

Episode Overview

In this reflective and intimate episode, Shannon Cason unpacks a personal story about reconnecting with an old flame via a dating app. He explores the allure—and risks—of revisiting past relationships and muses about whether it’s wise to reignite connections that previously burned out. With his signature storytelling style, Shannon invites listeners to consider their own approaches to nostalgia, closure, and moving forward.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rekindling Old Connections

The Setup: Shannon spots a former romantic interest on a dating app, sparking a flood of memories (00:00).
Origin Story: They originally met at a storytelling show, bonded over creative pursuits and podcasting, and quickly moved their interaction from professional networking to something more personal.
- “Sometime is usually no time unless you set a date.” (01:20)
Chemistry at First Sight: During their first date, they opt for drinks instead of coffee, and Shannon notes, with some surprise, that she takes the lead, a departure from his usual experiences (02:50).

2. The Vulnerability of Art—and Relationships

The Gallery Date: The old flame invites Shannon to a private viewing of her art exhibit, which is an exploration of her own sensuality and eroticism (04:00).
Shannon vividly describes his nervous excitement and efforts to “put his grown man face on” as he encounters intimate artwork featuring the woman he’s dating.
- “Shannon, act like you've been here before.” (06:10)

3. Emotional & Physical Intensity

Shared Vulnerability: After quietly taking in the exhibit, an intense and memorable kiss follows, surrounded by her artwork—highlighting the powerful mingling of art and romance (08:00).
- “We both looked at each other up close...and we kiss intensely. I mean, it was really intense.” (08:30)

4. The Dynamics and Burnout of the Relationship

Short-Lived Passion: Their relationship, though marked by “epic conversations about art, music and life,” and deep chemistry, follows a pattern Shannon recognizes with “Leos” (the woman's astrological sign)—fiery, passionate beginnings that fade quickly (09:30).
- “Leos, I noticed I burn out...a lot of heat from the start, and then it burns out fast.” (10:15)
A Different Dynamic: The woman often took the lead—arranging dates and being in control of the intimacy—leaving Shannon feeling both intrigued and off-balance.
- “It wasn't bad, it was just different. She would set the times...ask for intimate moments. It was like everything was on her will.” (11:20)

5. The Decision Point: To Swipe or Not to Swipe?

A Familiar Crossroads: While reminiscing about their chemistry and memorable moments, Shannon questions whether to reach out again or let the past stay in the past (15:00).
- “Now here she is on my date now, and I'm looking at the pictures...We did have great conversations. What do I do?” (15:20)
His Choice: Instead of swiping right or left, he simply leaves it—choosing not to repeat a romance he knows is likely to fade again, reflecting on the value of some memories existing solely in the past.
- “I don't have any issues just respecting a special moment in life without feeling the need to repeat it.” (16:00)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On missed connections:

“Sometime is no time. I got a friend of mine that we talked. DeAndre. We brought that up. Sometime is no time.” (01:15)
On vulnerability:

“Her exhibit is very vulnerable, that it's an exploration of her sensuality, her eroticism. And I almost coughed on my drink.” (04:50)
On fleeting passion:

“Leos, I noticed I burn out. Like, it's a lot of heat from the start, and then it burns out fast.” (10:15)
On letting go:

“I don't have any issues just respecting a special moment in life without feeling the need to repeat it because there's so many special moments.” (16:00)

Significant Timestamps

00:00 – 02:50: Shannon describes seeing his old flame on a dating app and recalls how they met.
04:00 – 08:30: The gallery date and the intimate aftermath.
09:30 – 12:10: The relationship’s emotional high points, unique dynamic, and contrasting personalities.
15:00 – 16:30: Shannon confronts the swipe decision and shares his reflective conclusion.

Listener Engagement

The episode closes with Shannon posing a personal question to his audience, inviting discussion:

“Would you revisit something or someone or a relationship that you know in your heart will eventually burn out anyway? Let’s talk about it.” (16:45)

Tone: Honest, reflective, gentle humor, open vulnerability.
Language: Conversational, insightful, warm.

This episode artfully blends dating anecdotes, introspective life lessons, and a splash of gentle humor, making it highly relatable—especially for those navigating the modern world of dating apps and past romances.

Transcript

A (0:00)

I saw Old Flame on a dating app. Every day is a story. I'm Shannon Cason. This is Monday. When I saw her on the dating app, it brought up good memories. We met at a storytelling show. Now I was on stage telling stories, and she was, like, in the audience or something. So afterwards, we. We met, and in my mind, it was like networking. She was an artist, and she had a podcast. And I told her, and we were talking about podcasting, and I told her, let's get coffee sometime. And she said, okay, next week. And I was cool with that. Because sometime is usually no time unless you set a date. You say, hey, let's do that sometime, but sometime never comes. I got a friend of mine that we talked. DeAndre. We brought that up. Sometime is no time. So when she said next week, I thought that was perfect. So we talk, and she skips the coffee. Like, she says, coffee, let's go get a drink. And this is foreign to me, you know, because most times, like, I'm the lead in pursuing, but I'm an experimental person. This isn't bad. It may be a new experience, you know, it isn't bad. It's just different. Okay, let's go get a drink then. So we go out, and by the outfit that she had on, I could tell that it wasn't just networking because she had her back all out. I'm like, okay, look at this. Okay. So we sat down, we have our drink, and it was a great conversation. We having a good talk, and. And the talk is so good that we take a walk in the neighborhood and we go to another spot for another drink. And I remember at the end, we kind of feigned to kiss. It wasn't a. We hugged. Like, we hugged at the end. We said we had a good time and we got really close, but we didn't kiss. I told her we got time for all that, and she said we do. And we both left. So the next time that we go out, like, we talk and we set another date, and she says that she wanted to show me her art. She had an exhibit that she was doing. It was in a small gallery, and she wanted to. To. She wanted me to see it. So before we went to see it, she said we. We gotta talk before we go see it. So we go. Go have a drink, and I gotta tell you a little bit about it. So we go to a little spot for a drink before we go to the gallery, and she tells me that. That her exhibit is very vulnerable, that it's an exploration of her sensuality her eroticism. And I almost coughed on my drink. But I'm thinking in my mind, I'm like, shannon, put your grown man pants on. Put your grown man face on. It's all good. Act like you've been here before, you know, so I'm. So I'm telling myself that in my head. So we go to the exhibit after the. After the drinks, and it's after hours, and it's a small gallery and no one else is around. It's not open or anything. She had a key to the place. And we go in, it's dark. She has to turn on the lights and all this kind of thing. And I'm just keeping a. Reminding myself, you know, grown man energy. Shannon, act like you'd have been here before. That's what. That's what a lot of guys do. You know, we have to. We have to remind ourselves to hype ourselves up. So we go in the exhibit, and there's pans, there's photography, and there's sculptures. All of the lady that I'm with naked, nude, and very sensual in all these pictures, in all these art. And there's heavy fabrics, and there's rich browns and deep reds everywhere. And I'm walking around the exhibit and I'm looking at the art and I'm reading the small plaques, and I'm just staring at everything, taking it all in. And she asked me, what do you think? And I didn't answer immediately. I just kept looking around. And after a long while, I told her, come here. And she walked over slowly, and I opened my arms for a hug, and I told her, thank you for showing me your art. That means a lot. And she leaned in for the hug, and we both looked at each other up close. And I told her, it's beautiful. And we kiss intensely. I mean, it was really intense. It was a long time of kissing, surrounded by all this beautiful art of the woman that I'm with. It was like an amazing experience. That was a cool experience. So we dated for a few months, and we would have these epic conversations about art. Like she knew all about art and music and life. And we'd be drinking tea and just talking, just talking for. For hours sometimes. And I noticed that she was a Leo. She was into that, too. Like the zodiac astrology, she was into that. And I noticed she was a Leo. But my first wife was a Leo. And I'm not huge on the zodiac signs, but I've come to respect it over the years and over the. The. The patterns that I've Seen over life, you know, and Leo's. I noticed I burn out. Like, it's a lot of heat from the start, and then it burns out fast. So. So for me, I was just looking at this, okay, this would be a different experience because in this relationship or, you know, situationship that we just meet in, she would take the lead in most of our experiences, and it was different for me. It wasn't bad. It was just different. You know, she would set the times that we would go out. She would ask for intimate moments. It was like everything was on her will. And it wasn't bad, just totally different for me. And I remember, like, when I would set a time to go out to go do something to some new experience, she would decline. Like, she would either have something else to do or she wouldn't even explain herself. She would just decline. And when I would make a move for a moment, like, for us to have a special moment, she will withdraw. She would, you know, kind of play back. Play me back a little bit. So this wasn't bad. It was just different for me. But just like I prognosticated, just like I imagined, it burnt out after a short three to four months, it just kind of burnt out. We didn't break up or anything. It just. Just kind of stopped. Leos have this whatever quality about us, you know, like. Like, whatever. And both of us can't be like, what, Whatever. I've noticed that with Leo's in Tauruses, like, if I date a Leo or Taurus is. It's fun at the beginning, but then over time, it kind of burns out because our need for attention when we're not getting it from each other. And. And. But now here she is on my date now, and I'm looking at the pictures and I'm reading the words, and she's very talented. She's beautiful. There's a ton of chemistry. We did have great conversations. What do I do? So swipe left or swipe right? I did nothing. I'll just wait to the. Like, the app, like, resets itself. It resets itself eventually and you get new suggestions. Like, I'm. I'm not doing anything. I'm just gonna leave it right where it is. I remember how our situation used to always go in that kind of different way. So I just leave it. Leave. Leave it where it is. One thing with me, I don't have any issues just respecting a special moment in life without feeling the need to repeat it because there's so many special moments now. What would you have done? Would you have swiped right or left, Would you revisit something or someone or a relationship that you know in your heart will eventually burn out? Anyway, let's talk about it.