Monday, 17 November 2014

Sink or Swim

nostalgia [no stáljə, no stálji ə]
noun
1. sentimental recollection: a mixed feeling of happiness, sadness, and longing when recalling a person, place, or event from the past, or the past in general
2. things that arouse nostalgia: something, or things, intended to arouse a feeling of nostalgia or to evoke the past in a way that arouses nostalgia


Nostalgia is a quite the unusual emotion. It can be forgotten in a heartbeat but can be recalled at the faintest reminder of a person or place. I've been swimming in a sea of nostalgia for the last few days, and to be honest I had almost forgotten how to swim among the waves of memories. It takes a lot of mental endurance to go through the memories again as an observer rather than a participant. It's a bit like Life of Pi, you're in a boat with several other characters, all of whom have been a part of your story, but you choose how to remember each one, or whether to remember them at all.

At the same time, recalling incidents and memories long since forgotten can remind you how far you've made it since then, not to mention how much you can change in what seems like such a short space of time. Suffice to say, I remembered how to swim, and the truth is that it's been one of the most refreshing experiences I've had in a long time. I had gotten into the bad habit of blocking out the past, but the truth is that you can't force yourself away from the memories. They're a part of your story. And the sooner you embrace that, the sooner the waves of memories stop threatening to pull you under. The memories start to support you, allowing you to breathe again.

 I've felt that having a good memory can be a bit of a catch-22. But having a good memory means you're never at a shortage for interesting stories, all you need is that trigger for the waves of memories. So after a long, philosophical swim, I have come to a surprising conclusion...

Dear Readers in South Africa and all over the world, make the effort to stay in touch with someone you had forgotten. It doesn't matter how many days, weeks, months or even years it has been. Keep that connection, I can tell you the old memories made as well as the new memories yet to come will be worth the long swim in the ocean of nostalgia.

Until we meet again
Talia

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