Nostalgia is…

You know, nostalgia is something that’s often mentioned but not talked about in depth. I suppose that could be because the feeling of nostalgia varies from person to person—even from generation to generation. Today, I want to talk about some of the things that leave me with a sense of nostalgia.

The first thing that comes to mind is the feeling of getting water in my nose. Sounds weird, I know, but that sensation instantly transports me back to the long days of swimming in the pool, learning to do handstands and front flips without getting water in my nose.

Another thing that triggers a feeling of nostalgia is the smell of cigarettes. My maternal grandparents used to smoke indoors at their house, so that smell quickly brings be back to the holidays we’d spend there, or celebrating birthdays—my Grandpa and I have the same birthday.

These two very different sensations just bring me to another time—a simpler time, a more carefree time. A lot of nostalgia—at least, how I experience it—is a longing for a simpler, more carefree time. There are so many aspects of adult life that feels like the exact opposite of the feeling that nostalgia brings. There’s bills, debts, environmental trouble, and don’t even get me started on the 24/7 news cycle.

I’m trying to save my rant about technology for next week, so I’ll try not to get into the downfall of humanity yet, but that definitely plays a part in feeling nostalgic for simpler times.

There’s other sensations and experiences that overwhelm me with a sense of nostalgia: When the world is bathed in a golden glow from the sun bouncing off the clouds. When my feet splash in a puddle after the rain. Even when I sit down to write these journals and sort out my planner (which is another separate journal, but I’ll get into that next week).

I don’t think nostalgia is a feeling that needs to live in the past, however, even though nostalgia is a feeling of missing the past, and longing for the feelings you had as a kid. We can live in that feeling now. For me, this looks like stepping away from technology, enjoying looking at the clouds, splashing in puddles, and doing anything I can to bring back that feeling of being a kid again.

As the years go on and I get older, I want only to live in simpler times. I won’t be able to escape adulting or bills, but I can simplify my life in other ways, ways that I’ll be getting into more next week, so stay tuned for that!