Ahh, nostalgia. Smells, sights and sounds that evoke memories from the past which are intimately connected with our emotions. When one of your senses triggers a nostalgic memory you are brought right back to that moment conjuring up emotions and sensations making you truly feel back in that time in a way that your memory alone could never do. The sensory connection is intimate and very different. It is what makes you FEEL the same as that remote moment you are recalling and not just remember it. It is likely that our senses are closely connected to memories for protection and survival reasons on a primitive level.
Basking in this authentic experience can be profound and enlightening, reminding you of where you have been and where you are going. Those smells, sights and sounds are often captured and bottled for recollection during what may appear to be ordinary moments in time, moments which have no apparent greatness or seem unremarkable. It is those times however, which you are really living connected to your senses taking it all in, living in the moment.
Basking in the experience can be wonderful, to be sure. But what are your thoughts about basking too often? Or is that possible? If so, how much is too much? e.g. "living in the past"? Mightn't it be unhealthy to recollect vividly the past events and people of which one has fond memories so often that the present becomes burdensome, and sometimes even too much to bear?
ReplyDeleteI believe that a healthy adoration for the past would be a whimsical thought which is fleeting.
ReplyDeleteConstant reminders or daily journeys back in time is in my opinion a sign of some unsettled feelings. Perhaps some infinished business or possibly a much needed jump into a new endeavor. Surely, the focus should be on the present moment with the knowledge that the future holds whatever it is that you wish for.
I say contemplate the reason for the gazing backwards and address that. Blessings to you my friend.