A thing about nostalgia
“It's funny how when you're a kid, a day can last forever. Now, all these years seem just like a blink.”
Hearts in Atlantis
"When you finally go back to your old hometown...you find it wasn't the old home you missed, but your childhood."
I know what you're thinking. So what? You're old.
It's more than that though. This isn't about work or anxiety or worrying I forgot to take the garbage out or something. No, it's about something else. Something much more powerful.
My childhood. Vivid dreams, memories, and recollections of my youth.
And, despite the fact these memories are usually good ones, they are also kind of sad. Often times, I'll wake up and touch my face and check the mirror and make sure where I am. And there is always a tinge of sadness when I look up and see my middle-aged self looking back.
I've got a phrase for these moments.
Nostalgia attacks.
At first I saw these as negative experiences, but over the years I've begin to think about these memories in a different way. As Stephen King said so eloquently in Hearts in Atlantis, “Whenever it wants, the past can come kicking the door down. And you never know where it's going to take you. All you can do is hope it's a place you want to go.”
I've learned now to welcome these memories, as jarring as they may be. Sometimes it feels like a time machine has just taken me for a ride and then just violently dropped me back into my bed at 3 in the morning. But I've learned over the years to just take the ride.
In this blog, I'll be talking about some of these experiences in greater detail. The smell of the arcade. The excitement of a McDonald's birthday party. Sitting by the stereo waiting for your favorite song to come on so you could tape it. Little moments.
In the end, all of us are a sum of these little moments. I've come to understand it's a wonderful thing to share these memories with others and remember. I worked in nursing homes for years and "reminiscence" was a huge part of how we spent our time. I still remember learning about the "Dance Hall", where many of my residents would get dressed up in their best clothes and go to these giant halls to dance the night away. Many of them met their husbands and wives in this very way. And boy did their faces light up when they remembered these days!!
Wang Chung made a wonderful song about this called "Dance Hall Days." A song about the nostalgia of these Dance Halls that has somehow now become it's own kind of nostalgia.
TV writer's have their own nostalgia attacks. I'm sure of that.
Looking forward to talking to you some more soon.
Hearts in Atlantis
"When you finally go back to your old hometown...you find it wasn't the old home you missed, but your childhood."
--Sam Ewing.
I have a confession to make.
Sometimes, I'll wake up at 3 in the morning and jolt out of bed, wide awake.
I have a confession to make.
Sometimes, I'll wake up at 3 in the morning and jolt out of bed, wide awake.
I know what you're thinking. So what? You're old.
It's more than that though. This isn't about work or anxiety or worrying I forgot to take the garbage out or something. No, it's about something else. Something much more powerful.
My childhood. Vivid dreams, memories, and recollections of my youth.
And, despite the fact these memories are usually good ones, they are also kind of sad. Often times, I'll wake up and touch my face and check the mirror and make sure where I am. And there is always a tinge of sadness when I look up and see my middle-aged self looking back.
I've got a phrase for these moments.
Nostalgia attacks.
At first I saw these as negative experiences, but over the years I've begin to think about these memories in a different way. As Stephen King said so eloquently in Hearts in Atlantis, “Whenever it wants, the past can come kicking the door down. And you never know where it's going to take you. All you can do is hope it's a place you want to go.”
I've learned now to welcome these memories, as jarring as they may be. Sometimes it feels like a time machine has just taken me for a ride and then just violently dropped me back into my bed at 3 in the morning. But I've learned over the years to just take the ride.
In this blog, I'll be talking about some of these experiences in greater detail. The smell of the arcade. The excitement of a McDonald's birthday party. Sitting by the stereo waiting for your favorite song to come on so you could tape it. Little moments.
In the end, all of us are a sum of these little moments. I've come to understand it's a wonderful thing to share these memories with others and remember. I worked in nursing homes for years and "reminiscence" was a huge part of how we spent our time. I still remember learning about the "Dance Hall", where many of my residents would get dressed up in their best clothes and go to these giant halls to dance the night away. Many of them met their husbands and wives in this very way. And boy did their faces light up when they remembered these days!!
Wang Chung made a wonderful song about this called "Dance Hall Days." A song about the nostalgia of these Dance Halls that has somehow now become it's own kind of nostalgia.
As a final reflection around nostalgia, I include this clip from "Mad Men" which many people are probably familiar with. It captures that longing for childhood memories and the corresponding sadness so beautifully. Many of the ideas in this clip were taken from a 1950's episode of the Twilight Zone called "Walking Distance" pictured here.
TV writer's have their own nostalgia attacks. I'm sure of that.
Looking forward to talking to you some more soon.
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