What makes you feel nostalgic?
Smells can flip my switch. A freshly cooked moussaka just out the oven! Mmmmmmmmm. Then suddenly I’m back in Greece with my Mum and Aunties and cousins. Going to the beach, throwing bricks from a 3rd floor into an oil drum full of water with my younger brother. Going to an open air cinema on a balmy Summer night to watch some vague Italian movie.
Or I’m in the woods close by home in England with the tang of resin from the evergreen trees and the leaves rotting from the fall of Autumn. Or playing football with my 4 brothers on the swathe of freshly mown grass opposite my childhood home.
Sights. There are times when I think I catch a glimpse of my beloved Dad but usually because I’m just reminded by an actor’s laugh or style of him.
One place that’s heavily imprinted in my senses is the Courtauld gallery in London. It’s the place I 1st saw the works of George Seurat. I’m still deeply impressed by his art and the works of other Impressionist painters. It makes me realise the capability that we were created with and that I am extremely grateful for.
So, nostalgia? Of course there can be sad or even traumatic experiences that make you feel or think in a negative way. But for those sad or difficult times my takeaway is – I got through them, I’ve learned about myself and I will look for the positive things that can help me now.
After all, no-one wants to hang out with negative, desperate people. I hope I’ve helped some fellow humans along the path I’ve chosen to walk.
Use nostalgia to reinforce the positive in your life. And enjoy making memories now you can reflect on later that will put a smile on your face!
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