Seeing The Good: The Good Old Days

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good ol’ days before you’ve actually left them.”

 

I’m a pretty nostalgic person. I spend a lot of time looking back and wanting to return to certain times when life seemed better. It seemed better because there were family and friends there, and now they are gone.

 

This nostalgia can be a hindrance, since it involves more looking back than looking forward. But there is also a nostalgia for the present that I think helps me to appreciate special moments.

 

Have you ever been laughing with friends, sitting with family, or been in a moment you wish would freeze in time? It’s during those moments that I try to hold onto every second, recognizing that this will one day be a memory I’ll want to go back to.

 

I’ve been through lots of changes in my life, lots of leaving and being left, and lots of incredible, fleeting moments. I grew up in the military and it was rare to have the same group of friends each year in school. I learned quickly that people move on and that those special, soul-touching moments may not happen again.

 

Many times, when I’m looking back through pictures, I wish I could go back to that moment. I wish I could tell myself then that moment isn’t going to last as long as I think it will. This friend will move; that friend will get married and gradually drift into a new life.

 

So, now I start to notice the signs of those special moments so I can savor them. Those times when I have that conscious recognition that this all just feels right. My heart and soul are both smiling and I want to physically grasp time and keep it still.

 

If I would notice it, I spend most of each day in the good old days. I am surrounded by family, friends, coworkers and students who each mean a lot to me. That isn’t likely to last forever, so instead of getting caught up in tiny issues I turn into a problem, I want to look down and see that I am standing right in the middle of a good moment.

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