Nostalgia is humorous because all of the memories that feel sentimental are covered with a shield of flowers. Even if I smell the perfume I wore on the day my crush rejected me in middle school, I still sigh in longing.
A lot of the time, I think nostalgia is protecting us, because sure, I may have been heartbroken after the whole ordeal, but here I am remembering it and smiling. Nostalgia is a reminder that we have lived; it is a reminder that even though things happen to us, as we keep growing, those things grow fond in our memories.
Sometimes nostalgia can turn into a lesson. For example, if a bad memory comes up and I regret what I did, I might freeze up from the embarrassment because maybe I should never have asked him out. Especially if I knew I was going to get rejected, but then my memory releases me, and I smile because of my bravery. It then becomes easy for me to commend my past self for her fearlessness, which then teaches my current self to go on a journey of bravery. To seek and explore new things, knowing that while not everything might work out in my favor, some things will, which makes it all worth it.
Nostalgia tends to become an issue when it lingers and becomes an escape from what you are directly living in. Laying down in bed and thinking of the past can be fun, but not when it sits with you and puts your current self in a difficult position. A lot of the time, nostalgia can be a way to turn our heads from our present and focus on how easy and good life used to be, but when it becomes a form of coping, it causes us to keep our heads turned, not noticing the opportunities passing by us.
There is no way to stay in the past, no way to go back to a specific memory or person, but getting caught up in our own memories can restrict our worldview from what might be right in front of us. It restricts us from reading new books, trying new hobbies, or even a sunny day where we could be laughing with friends. Nostalgia can be sad, happy, or bring a sense of longing, but most importantly, it should only be a moment. A brief period where the current timeline interacts with the past, leaving a feeling of contentedness and bringing us back to the center of our lives.
The point of being nostalgic is to remember our humanity in the places we have been, the relationships we have had, and the crucial moments of our lives we cannot help but long for. Sometimes it is easy for me to remember a good or bad memory and laugh to myself because I know in a couple of years I will sigh in fondness for the person I am right now. As I want to go back to the past and who I used to be, so does my future self, and that gives me hope.
My nostalgia is not holding me back; instead, it is seeking out new possibilities, possibilities of memories that I will hold on to forever. This ridiculous place that sentiment holds us for only a moment, and then we are able to regain our senses, appreciating who we have been and who we are yet to be.
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