Nostalgiapalooza
What is it about nostalgia that is so attractive?
While it’s a bittersweet emotion, nostalgia can be used to “counteract loneliness, boredom, and anxiety.” Think of that feeling you get when you flip through an old photo album, or listen to a favorite album. Nostalgia, while wistful, helps you think of good memories. It’s grounding, and gives you roots.
Maybe that’s why I’ve been on a nostalgiafest here lately. In the past year, I’ve made a point to relive things from my past that, at one point, I knew I loved. The feeling is especially strong with movies: I watched (and continue to watch) a ton of movies growing up. Now, I’m revisiting those late ’80s and early ’90s films that I watched over and over again (and haven’t watched since), primarily comedy classics like Major League, Funny Farm, and Naked Gun. For one, they’re funny, and those movies brighten my mood.
And two, I have great feelings associated with those 30-year old films. With the pandemic and all the anxiety surrounding it, it’s nice to dip into the past and relive something that’s fun and frivolous.
It’s the same with classic books – Frog and Toad with the kids, say – and albums. I’m even browsing through my Lightroom catalog from years past and scrolling through my iPhone photo library to remember the times when I took a ton of pictures. Remember that?
I think about that scene in Inside Out where the memory globes become bi-colored – both joyful and sad. Memories are rarely pure joy or pure sadness. Nostalgic feelings, especially, have twinges of melancholy with the feel-good moments.
That’s how I feel: a little good, a little crummy. So I’m feeding that with nostalgia in all its forms.
Right now, I need the familiar.
June 16, 2021 @ 1:01 pm
This is a beautiful statement and one I can deeply relate to these days. Your greenhouse photos here are a huge nostalgia trigger for me, as I recall many a day trailing behind my grandmother as we searched out the perfect window box flowers. The smells, the humidity, the colors, all feelings that rush back to, and out of, my soul when I see these images. I’ve recently made my son’s old bedroom (he moved out a year ago) into what I call the “Retro Room” in my house where I have old posters and photos up as well as a turntable sound system, old tube TV, and VCR set up. I have displayed many old cameras and radios as well. It’s a wonderful place to go when the worries of today become overwhelming. Even though it can be a little meloncholly, it’s mostly a good feeling. Thanks for your great photos and stories!
July 26, 2021 @ 7:07 pm
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!