Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
Nostalgia is a strange thing when you think about it. You sit and look back on memories of childhood or earlier in life, and you think of all the joy it brought you, how it reminds you of good times and how (usually) nostalgia is associated with something you loved.
I’ve had a few conversations recently with friends where we’ve been nostalgic and talked about our days back in school, or of things which reminded us of certain times within our lives. Georgia and I even took it to a whole new level the other day and did one of those ‘if you can correctly guess the theme of these children’s tv shows you were definitely born in the 90s/early 00s’.
I don’t know if I have ever talked about it on a blog before, or a YouTube video, or a Podcast (whatever you may follow us on… if you do) but one of my all-time favourite tv programmes is a show called ‘One Tree Hill’. This series follows the eventful lives of some high-school kids in Tree Hill, a small but not too quiet town in North Carolina, with a very strong focus on Lucas and Nathan (half-brothers) whose parents have split and how they cope growing up side by side in this town, focussing on their relationships with all around them, as well as their talent on the basketball court. The series relies heavily on music, and for me this is one of the things that really made it for me. Although I loved the series for the characters and storylines, the soundtrack was a stand out.
The reason I am telling you about One Tree Hill is because, for me, that brings back a real nostalgic memory. Not only because of the music which appears in it, and how that’s what ‘teenage Antony’s’ bedroom sounded like day in and day out, but also because it was one of those programmes that I didn’t experience alone… especially with the final series. Myself and one of my closest and best friends, Gabz, would sit down and watch it (when it was actually on, couldn’t do catch up, that wasn’t good enough because it would ruin routine) and as soon as the credits started at the end, we would be straight on the phone. “What did you think? Can you believe that happened? What’s going to happen there? How? What? Who?” We always had so many discussion points. For me, that makes the nostalgia of One Tree Hill even better, because not only am I finding joy in something which I love and can watch whatever emotion I am feeling, but I can be reminded of the great memories I shared with one of those closest to me (to the point, writing this blog we have continuously talked about One Tree Hill once again!)
It’s strange isn’t it? At a time like this, a time when things don’t really seem that normal, when things may feel hard and it just feels like too much effort to try and make the best out of a situation, the one thing we do is to look back on good memories. To look back on the things that bring us joy, the times that really made a difference in our lives. It’s sometimes hard to do, because it can be a reminder that maybe things in our lives have changed, but it’s also a reminder that joy is out there, even if maybe you don’t feel it right now with the situation we see our world in.
Do you ever wonder if we make the moments in our lives, or if the moments in our lives make us?
Lucas Scott (One Tree Hill)
Everyone has moments in their lives which stick with them. Everyone has moments where they can say ‘this was special for me’. As the quote says, for a lot of people these moments may make them, and really add to our lives. So, I want to encourage you to make your own moments, the ones that will bring you nostalgic memories in a few years’ time. Listen to the song that’s playing in the background when something great happens, take note of what book you were reading when you first received that text you’d been waiting for, keep chatting with those who you love around you even if you don’t really have a reason to contact. Create memories, and enjoy them in the moment, because you never know the difference it may make.
- Antony.
This week’s resource…
Nostalgia: Revisit something that gives you a good memory and brings you joy!
Can be found: Only you know that...
About: Could be a song, a book, a TV Show... anything! If you fancy sharing it with us, let us know, you know where to contact us...
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