Nostalgia: a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days.
Nostalgia is such a part of my life that personally, it can no longer just be seen as a time that was better than right this second. It is a positive, reflective and heart-warming process. When I think of nostalgia, I recall fond memories of childhood, a sweeter time to go back to now that I have to deal with the adult world and all that it entails. It's a world that is harsh, loud, and at times very unforgiving. There are definitely positives to adulthood, but I am here to tell you that I have found my own personal solution to harness nostalgia. Its a way to brighten up every aspect of your free time.
The answer to all your problems is cartoons, my friend. Good ol’ fun cartoons, specifically, the ones you used to watch as a kid (whichever those may be).
I am proud say that I'm always watching cartoons from my childhood - even some I didn't get a chance to watch when they were on. I must admit I'm almost 22 and I am only just discovering the magic that is Dragonball-Z (I was more of a Pokemon guy back then). Why not go and watch the funny, well written, artistically & visually brilliant stories you loved when you were a child. What's wrong with that?
A cartoon brings back and rekindles memories of childhood. Watching these shows, I remember things I had forgotten, making them almost new, but with the safety of knowing that it's not a risk watching them whether you're going to like it or not. I found that on my travels through the landscape of cartoons, watching episode after episode, you end up noticing far more as an adult. Looking with fresh eyes its easier to understand the messages being shown - and they're all good ones. I think we as adults can learn from these most basic lessons that we may have forgotten along the way. You know - friends help friends, look out for each other, love yourself and do what makes you happy.
You may struggle to find something to watch online like many of us do. You find yourself scrolling through Netflix more than actually picking something to watch, or even watching the same shows you've watched six times already (you know who you are). Use cartoons to rekindle lost passion, strengthen your emotional stability or just to vegetate in bed at 3am because you can't sleep. Just remember to make it positive; why does admiring the past have to be a negative enterprise? Learn from it. Some may say, "I can't going to watch kids' cartoons now I'm an adult." Ok, I get it - there are adult cartoons too, guys. They're amazing shows with adult themes and rude language (in other words, they're absolutely great). Just go watch some damn cartoons already.
