Nostalgia, “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past”: like a collection of moments which shape who we all become. But this is no soppy story of self-discovery, rather a realisation of how my own mind encapsulates the past. You see, I view these periods of nostalgia like time capsules, which sounds a bit bizarre but just hear me out! Take high-school – the people we knew, the sports teams we were in, the experiences we shared, the people we were – are all sentimental souvenirs which we subconsciously cram into a time capsule devoted to that special span of time. Sort of like a mental memory box, full to the brim with past memories or interactions which encompass how we perceived different people during that stage of life, and vice versa.
Ahh but like everyone, we all grow, we all change, we all evolve; especially once we bust out of that high-school bubble. The things we’ve done, the people we’ve come to know, the pain we’ve felt or the peace we’ve found, and the people we’ve become – are all the contents of a newly opened time capsule. That’s the funny thing about nostalgia, once a time capsule closes it’s as if our memory of others and their memory of us, freezes in time. As if we choose to pause moments in time to preserve them or to preserve the connections made within them, so they can be revisited later on. And that’s what’s so special, that no matter how distant or close you were with certain people, those past connections never really fade, because the contents of that mental memory box helped to shape who you’ve become in one way or another. And that’s frankly something I feel nobody can truly disconnect from.
I for one, often wonder what those people are like now, who I lost touch with after school. What they’ve done since then, how life’s tracking, how they’ve changed. And although like many of us, high school was no picture perfect experience, I’ll always be grateful for those who were a part of it. I think this is more a tribute to those people, a “how ya going?” for everyone I once knew. I honestly don’t feel we should ever associate distance with a sudden end to communication, the door should always remain open. So stay connected, reminisce, and try not to shy away from dusting off those mental memory boxes and having a dig through the good stuff every now and then.
July, 2020