I like to experience nostalgia in advance.
In the final year of my 8 years at my high school, I was already saying goodbye, often wandering alone through the silent, old walls of the building that served as my alma mater. And I'm glad I did because those walls look entirely different today.
For some reason, places, buildings, memories, and perhaps even people mean a lot more to me. Farewells are hard, and it’s better to prepare for them in advance. And I can report that, yes, the nostalgia has already started here, as next Saturday morning, I’m returning home.
Not that I went too far or didn't spend a couple of two-week stays at home or meet friends and family countless times during this period. But somehow, change itself might be harder for me.
That's how it is; over the years, I've grown accustomed to this, and relatively good coping strategies have developed, almost instinctively. One of these is 'nostalgia in advance.' This feeling usually mingles with a bittersweet touch. Interesting how even in the word itself, there’s a hint of 'sweetness.'
And what are my ‘coping strategies’?
- A missed semester abroad during university – 6 months spent in Malta, 8 years later.
- A missing childhood – a near-obsessive attachment and attraction to its places.
- A partial lack of belonging to a community – establishing and maintaining strong human connections in adulthood.
- "Overwhelming" feelings – a long walk somewhere that quiets everything down.
- And finally, the aforementioned advance nostalgia – maybe just a bit of help in dealing with separation. Who knows?
So, yes, the nostalgia has indeed started here, and the few examples above are a reflection that bad decisions, mistakes, or things beyond our control that leave us with gaps can essentially be repaired indefinitely.
