Nostalgia. It’s more than just an emotion.
It’s the sentimental feeling when we look back on our past, longing for simpler times. It’s the tenderness of reliving the most special moments of our lives, locked away only in memory. It’s the bridge between the present and the past, during times when we feel we lose connection to our former selves.
Nostalgia tugs at our hearts in a way that no other feeling does, making us stop to think—where did all the time go?
It’s hard to describe what nostalgia feels like. But if I had to, I would say “bittersweet” captures it. Usually, it comes very suddenly when I least expect it. Whether I hear a song playing from the early 2010s or drive past my old elementary school, I am constantly reminded of my past. It’s crazy because I feel like I have lived so many different lives, with so many different people and experiences. It feels like a wave of memories hitting me so hard that it feels real, and my mind drops in that moment, even if it’s just for a few seconds.
But nostalgia goes beyond just the memories themselves. It’s about feeling. Nostalgia isn’t just a singular emotion; it glues together every single emotion we have ever felt in our lives. In these moments, I feel both happiness and sadness: happiness for being able to experience an effortless, more joyful moment and sadness for knowing that that moment will forever be in the past. I also feel a sense of gratitude and amazement, for I am able to truly step back and reflect on how much has changed and how much I have grown as a person.
The fresh, earthy smell of rain after a storm. The rusty creak of playground swings swaying. The sight of stars twinkling in the night sky. Although it may seem meaningless to anyone else, it is through little moments like these that I experience nostalgia. That is what is unique about nostalgia—it comes from different personal experiences that we often associate with happiness or belonging. Each person’s nostalgia is a reflection of their own journey and life, shaped by moments that only they can truly understand and cherish.
For me, those moments are about being with the ones I love. It’s not about any big, fancy occasions but simply the moments when I can spend time with friends and family and talk to and laugh with them. That is my happy place.
A time I often feel nostalgia is during road trips. My family and I always drove to the mountains each year, and it became like a family tradition. Whenever we go on road trips now, I’m reminded of those road trips from my childhood—looking outside the frosty window to see the shimmering stars, hearing the car engine hum as it drowned out the movie playing in the background, and smelling the mixture of pine and snow.
It was a time when life felt so easy and simple. It was a time when there seemed to be no trouble or struggle in the world. It was a time of family when I felt truly happy. I miss it so much.
Time is always ticking, and life is always changing. Sometimes, it all goes by so fast that we don’t even realize it. On the surface, nostalgia may seem like a basic human emotion. But it’s so much more than that.
Nostalgia is there to reconnect us to our past. We long for times that felt simpler or even just a little different, and nostalgia has the unique ability to transport us back to these times, although not physically. Once there, we experience emotions we once had; at times, revisiting these memories can be joyful, but it can also be painful as we are reminded that we cannot hold onto everything.
Although it can be good to live in the past from time to time, nostalgia also reminds us of how far we’ve come in life and how far we’ve grown, for better or for worse. I’m only fifteen years old, yet I continue to find myself reflecting on when I was younger. Out of everything, I have learned to appreciate the present and truly take in the moment because I know that one day, I will wish I could be where I am right now.
