Nostalgia is the biggest mind trick of all; it has a way of making the past look a little brighter than it actually was. Think about it: how many times have you looked back on a stressful semester, a complicated relationship, or a summer filled with obstacles and thought, “I would do anything to go back”?
At the time, you most definitely complained about being overwhelmed, wished certain things would change, or even counted down the days until something exciting happened. Yet, somehow, those same moments become the ones you miss the most. It’s kind of like you don’t realize how good you have it until it’s gone.
College has made this feeling even stronger for me. Being a young adult means constantly standing somewhere between who you used to be and who you are becoming. You are making new friends, losing others, discovering independence, and creating experiences that will eventually just be memories. At the same time, you find yourself missing your childhood bedroom, family dinners, high school friends and sports, or the comfort of knowing exactly what your life looked like.
Even when you are happy with where you are, you will still always miss where you have been in some way or another.
Nostalgia is far from a bad thing. Remembering meaningful moments can help us feel connected to ourselves and the people we love. A familiar song can make a stressful day feel lighter. A conversation about an unforgettable night can bring your friend group together all over again. Nostalgia allows us to revisit the people, places, and experiences that helped shape us, even when we cannot physically return to them.
I believe the trick is that I miss the feeling of a moment more than the actual moment itself. Missing the freedom of summer, the excitement of meeting someone new, or the feeling that anything could happen. I find myself forgetting about the arguments, the uncertainty, and the little things that really bothered me at the time. Sometimes, what I remember is less about what actually happened and more about how I felt.
I guess you could say I am warning you to be careful not to spend so much time romanticizing the past that we forget to enjoy the present, but also don’t forget to romanticize the past because it did happen and it was the “good old days.” Obviously, you can’t go back, and maybe that is what makes all of our memories so special. Instead of wishing you could go back all the time, take a second to recognize that you are still making memories, and someday you will look back on this moment right now and miss it too. So, give your present self something worth remembering.