I’ve tackled such heavy subjects this past week that now, on a Saturday, I’d like to try something lighter.
This morning was a whirlwind—dealing with contractors, then rushing out to Wynberg in Cape Town to get materials. The specialist shops in the neighborhood next to mine are closed on Saturdays. Amazing, isn’t it? They don’t need to do business on the busiest shopping day of the week, yet when you go there, if you need work done, you’re put on a seven-day waiting list. What a lovely business to be in. Though, to be fair, it doesn’t exactly look like they’re rolling in success. I think they just value their time—let’s put it that way.
But what I really wanted to chat about was nostalgia.
Most people feel nostalgia for the past. You see an old class photo, and suddenly, a wave of it hits you. Those five years of high school felt special, formative. But then again, so have many other five-year periods in life. So what’s the big deal about high school? I don’t quite get it, but others do.
Still, nostalgia itself isn’t the problem—it’s where we place it.
Most people look back. I think the real trick is to have nostalgia for the present. Right now. As you read this, a second passes. Then another. Then another. A moment ago, you were in the now. But now that moment is gone—part of the past. The present is already slipping away, which means we should savor it. This is nostalgia for life as it is, right now, in real time.
And then, there are those who feel nostalgia for the future. Sounds odd, right? But it’s just another way of saying they expect great things ahead—moments so good that they will outshine whatever dusty memories they’ve left behind.
Humans are funny creatures. Some live in the past, some cherish the present, some dream of the future. There’s no right or wrong way to experience it all. But maybe, just maybe, nostalgia doesn’t have to be about looking backward. It can be about valuing now, or even looking forward with anticipation.
Of course, these are easy ideas to grasp intellectually. Emotionally? That’s another story.
Anyway, I hope your weekend is a good one. And that you enjoy every single moment of it.
