Cat Pose.

Remember those cheesy school photos from the 80s, the ones with the laser backgrounds? Our cat’s pose in this picture totally takes my mind there.
…help.

Silly humans and the Reminiscence Bump

People are the strangest, don’t you think?

All these feelings and moods and memories and ideas to contend with, messing up things like productivity, schedules and – my favorite – peace of mind. It’s enough to drive you crazy.

As Nature would have it (I wave my fists at you, Nature!) all of these inconveniences are also what makes life interesting. They’re also what sets us apart from fire ants and peacocks, so.

I’m doing some research right now, on nostalgia and it’s hold on us, and came across the most interesting thing called the “Reminiscence Bump” in an article from New York Magazine called, “Why You Truly Never Leave High School.”

Basically, The Rem Bump (as I call it for short, since I’m soooo well versed now, thanks Wikipedia) is the period of life we reflect on the most as we age; the age range on which we reflect typically ranges from ages 10 to 30, although research suggests that, as we age, we get most nostalgic about the span of time between age 15 and 25.

I’d have to half agree with that right there. I can be nostalgic at times (the “old days” make the best stories, I think) but which period of my life I reminisce about the most varies, depending on what I’m longing for in that moment: my grandmother’s sweet bread, my grandfather’s laugh, my first best friend, ever, Janine. All of those memories come from different times in my life, the last one about Janine as early as four years old (the age I am in the photo above).

The point is, when it comes to memories, I don’t find myself fixated on any one age (do you?) although I would admit that the period between 15 and 25 was intense for me: change, hormones, decisions, ups and downs. But it was also a time of great growth and development, peppered in with a few regrets for good measure, of which I like to reflect on now to learn from.

Is that nostalgic or just studying your past behavior?

I’m doing my best to stay focused and moving forward though, since I’ve learned lately that trying to go back in time is really a fruitless task. So even though I visit there sometimes, I rarely stay long.

(P.s. – cool stuff for morons stuck in the past.)

-sandy.