I was listening to my audiobook this morning while walking with Russ and this particular chapter focused on the feeling of nostalgia. I’ve thought quite a bit about the phenomenon of romanticizing or craving the past and tried to adjust my mindset when it comes to this. In the chapter, they talk about the origin of the word and how the mind processes the emotion.
mid 18th century (in the sense ‘acute homesickness’): modern Latin (translating German Heimweh ‘homesickness’), from Greek nostos ‘return home’ + algos ‘pain’.
I’ve always felt a strong pull to the past both in a painful recollection but also simultaneously in a “what once was” rose-colored view. Sometimes I can’t get my feelings about the past straight or understand why I revisit certain periods of my life or why it’s so painful to crave that time again.
Living abroad has been a really interesting experience for me because I go back and forth on a spectrum of feeling deep homesickness for simplicity, familiarity, community, acceptance, etc. but on the other hand, I feel nothing at all on the other side. From the origin of the word “nostalgia,” I understand the combination of both homesickness and pain. Sometimes the feeling washes over me so strongly that I have to put it on a shelf to not be completely consumed by the thought. Most days, I manage okay, though.
One of the questions I ask people when we become closer friends is: what was the best year of their life? If we’re even closer, I’ll ask what the worst one was, too. I really enjoy watching someone search through the archive of memories in their brain, the good ones, to determine which year out of all 30+ (in most cases) would top the charts. I revisit the two best years of my life somewhat often in my mind and I’ve actively tried to see those years for what they were because it wasn’t all good but there were stand-out moments that made them the best to date.
I’ve always had a hard time living in the moment. I think most human beings do as it’s similar to meditation in the sense of keeping your thoughts grounded in the present and not floating away to the past or future. I listened to a podcast recently that talked about how our minds tend to live in the past and future but rarely the present. We don’t pay the present the same amount of attention because it’s uncomfortable and forces us to slow down and take a look at the current state of things. It’s easier to look back in hindsight or look forward in a planning state of mind.
Either way, I’ve found my mind and thoughts drifting regularly to scenarios or places in my head that are largely unhelpful. I’ve discovered this happens consistently but I’m particularly focused on this when I’m running on a treadmill or walking and attempting to listen to an audiobook. I have to rewind or backtrack 20 seconds more often than I’d like to admit to retaining the important information. Like everything in life, it’s a work in progress and requires mental tenacity which only strengthens if you’re aware and actively working against the distractions. So, here I am, baby!!
In all honesty, I’m nostalgic for a simpler time in life. I’m nostalgic for the times when my biggest worry or stressor was planning how I could see my friends over the weekend. I’m nostalgic for the feeling of being an hour out from home and knowing I would soon see my grandmother and give her a hug. I’m nostalgic for the feeling of having a part-time job while studying and not worrying about my future every hour of the day. I’m nostalgic for the feeling of falling asleep on a good friend’s couch while we watched a movie and he made us dinner. I’m nostalgic for the feeling of driving in my car on a summer night with the windows down, listening to music without a destination in mind. I’m nostalgic for Friday nights at my dad’s house with my brother and his friends playing video games. I’m nostalgic for the feeling of the season changing to fall and college football season.
I’m doing my best to keep the nostalgia in check and focus on my daily life. One step at a time and one foot in front of the other, so it goes, etc., etc.