Hiba Kathawala Week 13: Nostalgia in the Making
Nostalgia in the Making
Credit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914596/
Nostalgia is defined as the “sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past,” by the Oxford Dictionary. At our old age of 16 and 17, it is a feeling that many of us have as we slowly leave our childhood, and prepare for the future ahead of us.
For some people, nostalgia can mean revisiting old memories through photographs or movies. For others it might be playing video games from elementary school, or rereading books that captivated us when we were young.
For me, nothing brings more happy memories than rewatching old TV shows. Shows like H2O: Just Add Water, The Smurfs (not the movies), and My Little Pony, bring back strong memories of being a child. Of the carefree days, where SATs, finding derivatives, rhetorically analyzing passages, or taking AP practice tests, were far far away, and meant nothing at all. Of days where my biggest concerns were what I was eating for dinner or remembering to return my library books on time.
It is hard not to get sucked back into our seemingly easy going pasts to escape the stresses of the future. Being a second semester junior is no joke, after all.
However, while watching Cleo, Rikki, and Emma discuss their magical transformation at the JuiceNet Cafe a few nights ago, a thought struck me.
While I was having nostalgia about my carefree childhood while watching H2O, was I making more memories that I might reminisce about in the future? At ten years old, when I used to watch H2O after elementary school everyday, the last thing I would have thought was that watching H2O would become some sort of treasured memory I would reminisce over nearly 10 years in the future. So, could it be entirely possible that the memories I am making right now, are something I will reminisce over in a decade? That the iced coffee I make everyday afterschool will become a source of nostalgia. That, like how H2O fuels my nostalgia today, shows that I watched as a teenager, like Gossip Girl or Grey’s Anatomy, may become a source of nostalgia for the future.
Even though it is easy to only remember the negatives, or the struggles of our lives today, it is important to keep in mind that five, or ten, or even twenty years from now, we will most likely be grateful for this time in our lives. Even though it may not feel like it now, this time in our lives will be something that our future selves will long for, just like how we might miss our past, easygoing lives today.
Hi Hiba! I got excited when I saw the H2O image and clicked to read your blog in what must have been a nanosecond! It was almost an instinct; I saw H2O, I clicked. Like you, it was one of my favorite shows growing up that I used to watch after school. I still hope that one day, I'll go into the water and become a mermaid. But let me focus on the actual topic of your blog. Your writing about "Nostalgia in the Making," to quote your title, was eye-opening. It was something so simple and obvious, yet I hadn't really thought about it until I read this blog. You are right in predicting that in a few years, we'll be looking back at this time in our lives and wishing we could go back. Childhood nostalgia is simple: we have no responsibilities or worries, so we obviously want to go back. As teenagers, we definitely have more on our plate. But it is nothing compared to adult life. I suppose in five years, I'll look back on writing these blogs and comments and feel nostalgic. Thank you so much for sharing your blog and giving me food for thought!
ReplyDeleteHi Hiba,
ReplyDeleteYour second-to-last paragraph really made me reflect for a moment. I agree with your perspective, but I also believe that we haven’t fully left the period of creating nostalgia and memories. Even while in highschool, and even in college, those years are still to me a time that memories can be created in, the only difference being that everything is less full of that childish element attributive of our childhoods. So we still have time to make as many cherishable memories as possible! Your blog was very fluid and engaging to read. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Hiba, the nostalgia of watching my old shows as I read your blog. Those were the good old days. I remember being a toddler, and watching the television. My favorite movie was the original Cars. With each watch, I believed I was truly Speed. Like you said, at that time, I had no worries. My biggest problem was whether Lightning McQueen was going to win the Piston Cup, even though I knew he won the day before, and the movie would have the same ending. The memories of watching shows and movies with my friends are some of my favorites. I have not seen H2O, but I have seen Grey's Anatomy. The emotional twisting I went through watching the almost 20 seasons over a span of over 6 months got me through many tough times. Late nights doing busy work, or just destressing were all possible because of that show. It even helped me realize that my interest in Biology was only growing more and more. I will probably always remember the shows I watched through my childhood, and hopefully the good memories will always stay with me.
ReplyDeleteHey Hiba! What a beautiful blog you have written. Childhood memories are something which mean so much to me, because looking back at the old Tv' shows I used to watch, I truly miss those times where I used to sit with my brother in our little mickey mouse table and watch mickey mouse, and I am telling you, no one is a bigger mickey mouse fan than me. Also, we use to watch Phineas and Ferb, and it's actually funny, I actually can name you in all seasons, every episode, or at least I was able to, someone needs to test me now. Also, this past year, my family and I visited LA, but there was nothing new, except we saw the park, where all of us took our iconic family picture, and the memories it brought back, especially since my grandpa is not here with us anymore, it truly made us remember all of the laughing memories we had at the park years ago, and I truly miss those times. Life was simple, life was sweet. Personally, I actual have so many memories of watching the Smurfs in theaters with my family, and then discussing in the car which one was better, and then arguing why the recent one is always the best :). Nostalgia is such a deep word, that with that one word, can strike so many different conversations. Another example of this can be when I was just 2 years old, and went to a convention with my Mom, and saw all the neurosurgeons there, and that had to be a turning point in my life, where I knew i wanted to wear the white coat and help out people. Hiba, thanks for writing such a beautiful blog, and can't wait for next week.
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