However, when it comes to novelty, it seems that any cheap new trick can catch my attention. I feel that I should be embarrassed about this, but of course, I am not. Why is it that I can so easily latch onto something new, turning a blind eye to the deceptive trickery of plastique and gloss and new, yet when I ponder upon an old friend, that one summer, that awesome experience, or a could-of-should-of-would-of, I shrug it off with such an ease that only self-inflicted shame can provide? This is a question that has been running laps in my mind for the past few days. Until now.
Nostalgia in Picture Form ©2005 The Real Ideal
Nostalgia in Picture Form ©2005 The Real Ideal
Nostalgia in Picture Form ©2005 The Real IdealI have really come to appreciate nostalgia, because it has in turn brought appreciation for my past and where I come from and how I got here etc., etc., etc. Being nostalgic reminds me of people that I loved, and still love, and that I am sure still love me, because though we rarely even talk anymore, and because we have all gone our separate ways, one to another we are still who we were and who we always will be: bits of fruit suspended in the jiggling gelatin mold of life and time (please forgive me ). And I love that.
But what's interesting about nostalgia is that it really relies on novelty. Without the novelty of experiences had, secrets shared, places been, and new friends found, what would there be to be nostalgic about? Of course, through the lens of nostalgia, all that is plastic and all that is gloss and all that is false or fake is filtered away, and only the good things--the nice things--last.
2 comments:
I think it's especially easy to feel nostalgic when you are living abroad. Everything back home is warm and powerful, so it's easy (and great) to feel kind of wistful about the nice things of your past - and future.
I agree with Molly. Also, just removing yourself from a steady or familiar location does the same thing. I think that living abroad probably brings it out more heavily than somewhere else in the states, just because nothing is familiar. At least living in another state you know that there is still the same language spoken and social norms are probably going to be the same.
I've been partaking in lots of reminiscent moments recently. I'm not sure why... other than for me, memories are sometimes the lazy form of staying connected to people. But, at the same time, I've also been mentally placing people in certain situations with me, thought they are not there. I suppose that might relate as present nostalgia. It probably would not happen so often if I saw more than three people on a regular basis.
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