For my English class, I'm doing a project on the meaning found in children's books and how books can create nostalgia. I'm starting to wrap up the project and I've learned quite a bit about nostalgia itself. In the past, nostalgia was looked at as a negative emotion, and even as a mental disorder. It was often associated with homesickness, even though this isn't the case today. Thoughts about the past can create feelings of loneliness, disconnectedness, or meaninglessness -- obviously not something we would want. But today, it is seen as a positive emotion that occurs often and naturally. Nostalgia is defined as "a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations." It can help provide some perspective and direction, showing us that we are going the right way in life. It also reminds us of meaningful moments and experiences which show us that life isn't always boring or depressing.
Last week, my best friend and I were practicing for his job interview. I asked him a question that I was actually asked during an interview, which started a huge tangent that spun us completely off topic for about an hour. The question was, "Sing a song that describes your life right now." He was obviously thrown off by such a bizarre question, so I gave him some examples. Somehow we started talking about songs that reminded us of middle school, an interesting, exciting yet horrifying time in our lives. We discussed the tragedies of middle school dances and sang the wrong words to what must have been about 100 songs. I even ended up making a playlist with over 117 songs!
As waves of memories crashed over me, I started remembering all different types of moments. Some were cringe-worthy, and some were really pleasant to think about. I'm amazed by the fact that just one song can make us remember several different times in our lives. And it's so much fun to listen to them again six or seven years later. They just bring back such interesting memories, and the nostalgia is refreshing. Middle school may have been more awkward and uncomfortable than the present, but looking back makes me realize how far I've come. I'm more intelligent, more comfortable with my body and my physical appearance, and I'm more emotionally healthy. I encourage you to listen to your old iPod playlists from the golden years and to embrace what memories come with it. They absolutely don't have to be songs that you still like, as I coincidentally hate most of the songs I liked from middle school. In case you need some inspiration, I've included 15 songs that I used to seriously rock out to.
