(no subject)
I wrote this essay on nostalgia. Teresa and Juliana, this one's for you.
Nostalgia
Oh, the nostalgia. Although my middle school days of 8th grade might have seemed stressful at the time, I look back on them with fondness. I figured I would miss those days when they were gone, but I didn’t know how much they would mean to me a few years from then. While the year wasn’t perfect and there are still things I would change that year has been the most fun. In the fall, there was September 11th which made me sad for some time because so many innocent people died. Nonetheless, my personal life improved because I felt myself getting stronger through our nations dark days. Yet, like all things in life, it got better.
I miss those days. I miss the days when I actually had classes with my friends. I miss the days when I could pass notes to my friends in history and still make a good grade. The days when I used to say something bizarre just to hear Teresa say “That’s just wrong!” None of us knew any better back then, seeing that we were all still children at heart. We were still relatively innocent to the misfortunes of life. Now, it seems we know all about misfortunes. Back then all of our notes talked about anime characters, story characters and even an imaginary octopus named Hank. I’m smiling just thinking about these notes. I still have all of my notes in a box and every time I take them out, the era comes out as well. Except this time I’m not living it, I’m flooded by memories instead.
While my friends and I look relatively like our old selves, anyone can see the differences. Instead of the smiling faces of young teens, there are somber faces of young adults. My serious face is hidden by short black hair. Back then, my long brown hair highlighted my brace face and I was a mite chunky. No one believes that I used to be chunky as they see my thin frame. I myself can’t believe that those happy days are gone for good. I thought that they would never end.
What is nostalgia? It’s the feeling I get when I know the good ol’ days are gone. It’s the feeling I get when I talk to my former Musketeers, Teresa and Juliana, about the old times. It’s the feeling I get when I laugh for hours as I look at all of the old notes we passed. Nostalgia can be summed up as a longing for the past, but for me, it’s not just longing. For me, it includes the fond memories I have. Sometimes I wish I could repeat those days and enjoy them. Unfortunately, like most things in life, it’s never as good the second time. At least good memories serve as good conversation topics or even as an up lifter during rough times.
The box full of notes is in my closet on a shelf. Opening it is like opening a time capsule. Except in this case, I’m not digging up something after several years; I’m taking something off a shelf whenever I want. I open the box and 2001-2002 comes out with every keepsake. Oh, the laughter. The young laughter that I sometimes long to hear and I am actually sure it won’t be as good the next time around.
It’s funny how even the meanings of phrases change. In math class, “moldy bread” was when a person was sick and couldn’t think straight. Now, it’s simply the substance that grows on bread and makes it spoil. The phrase “tube socks” was an inside joke to my Musketeers and me but now, tube socks are just…socks. When I read the old notes, the humor comes back. But out of that context, the phrases mean nothing.
So what am I to do? I’m not sure if anyone can answer that question, really. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with looking back, but sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever experience good times like those. While sometimes I wish that those good days had never ended, I’m glad that the era finished. Nine months was the perfect time for that good year to last because if it had gone onto eleven months, the days would have become tiresome. It’s like one piece of cake is absolutely delicious, but five pieces of cake are just sickening. I know that I will have more good times soon, maybe even better than 8th grade, but all I need to do is be patient.
Nostalgia
Oh, the nostalgia. Although my middle school days of 8th grade might have seemed stressful at the time, I look back on them with fondness. I figured I would miss those days when they were gone, but I didn’t know how much they would mean to me a few years from then. While the year wasn’t perfect and there are still things I would change that year has been the most fun. In the fall, there was September 11th which made me sad for some time because so many innocent people died. Nonetheless, my personal life improved because I felt myself getting stronger through our nations dark days. Yet, like all things in life, it got better.
I miss those days. I miss the days when I actually had classes with my friends. I miss the days when I could pass notes to my friends in history and still make a good grade. The days when I used to say something bizarre just to hear Teresa say “That’s just wrong!” None of us knew any better back then, seeing that we were all still children at heart. We were still relatively innocent to the misfortunes of life. Now, it seems we know all about misfortunes. Back then all of our notes talked about anime characters, story characters and even an imaginary octopus named Hank. I’m smiling just thinking about these notes. I still have all of my notes in a box and every time I take them out, the era comes out as well. Except this time I’m not living it, I’m flooded by memories instead.
While my friends and I look relatively like our old selves, anyone can see the differences. Instead of the smiling faces of young teens, there are somber faces of young adults. My serious face is hidden by short black hair. Back then, my long brown hair highlighted my brace face and I was a mite chunky. No one believes that I used to be chunky as they see my thin frame. I myself can’t believe that those happy days are gone for good. I thought that they would never end.
What is nostalgia? It’s the feeling I get when I know the good ol’ days are gone. It’s the feeling I get when I talk to my former Musketeers, Teresa and Juliana, about the old times. It’s the feeling I get when I laugh for hours as I look at all of the old notes we passed. Nostalgia can be summed up as a longing for the past, but for me, it’s not just longing. For me, it includes the fond memories I have. Sometimes I wish I could repeat those days and enjoy them. Unfortunately, like most things in life, it’s never as good the second time. At least good memories serve as good conversation topics or even as an up lifter during rough times.
The box full of notes is in my closet on a shelf. Opening it is like opening a time capsule. Except in this case, I’m not digging up something after several years; I’m taking something off a shelf whenever I want. I open the box and 2001-2002 comes out with every keepsake. Oh, the laughter. The young laughter that I sometimes long to hear and I am actually sure it won’t be as good the next time around.
It’s funny how even the meanings of phrases change. In math class, “moldy bread” was when a person was sick and couldn’t think straight. Now, it’s simply the substance that grows on bread and makes it spoil. The phrase “tube socks” was an inside joke to my Musketeers and me but now, tube socks are just…socks. When I read the old notes, the humor comes back. But out of that context, the phrases mean nothing.
So what am I to do? I’m not sure if anyone can answer that question, really. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with looking back, but sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever experience good times like those. While sometimes I wish that those good days had never ended, I’m glad that the era finished. Nine months was the perfect time for that good year to last because if it had gone onto eleven months, the days would have become tiresome. It’s like one piece of cake is absolutely delicious, but five pieces of cake are just sickening. I know that I will have more good times soon, maybe even better than 8th grade, but all I need to do is be patient.