What makes me experience nostalgia? Quite often it is my body remembering the intrinsic memories, feelings and emotions. I remember a smell that triggers a memory – my mind then recalls that memory (much like a computer system or bookcase where I can retrieve – press play and experience that memory again) Or it may be the simple sound of the wind atop the bank of trees – the very sound whips me out from my present moment – once again I am a small child enjoying the expereince of a cool gentle breeze as it caresses the tree tops. Or when I bite into delicious watermelon, peaches, nectarines and plums – my body remembers as my cheeks tingle and I’m reminded on being a small child on a hot summer’s day – the taste memory becomes a strong visual memory where I can also feel the warmth of the sun, the sounds of laughter and the excitement of childhood. These memories are stored in what I can only describe as a vast well curated vault – they are stored as images and thoughts – which then can be remembered as if I am standing there watching a video of the past – I remember the moment – the emotions – the people’s faces, the emotions, the tones. Am I nostalgic? I don’t know – I am comfortable and grounded where I am in life. I am much like a pragmatic dreamer, an untethered balloon that is free to drift gently through the hallways of time and experience. Music would be one of the most significant vehicles of nostalgia – as let’s face it music is life. Music would be my life’s stories punctuation – giving context, meaning and value to what is felt. I think that I am not so nostaligic now, as I have learned to live in the present moment – it is here that life exists, and not in the memories of the past. I can enjoy being able to reminisce – as if vicariously enjoying the feeling of my younger self – or at very least observing the memory – the moment and appreciating it for what it taught me, or what it gave me. I believe that we are the wonderful concoction of all those prior moments, the past experiences, the memories, the music, the emotions, sensations. Surely we need to see how incredibly nuanced our lives are? Nostalgia isn’t a weapon to feel sadness, or contempt for life’s journey – surely it can be used as a gift, a gratitude checker? A grounding tool to help us understand the enormity of life and our own choices.
My final thought is that nostalgia is like a soft filter that we apply over our inner lens – it can sometimes imbue what we are remembering with the feelings of the present.
Selectively Juggling 
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