12.31.24: I had not planned on going back through these prompts once I discovered that I could no longer answer them. Someone has already busted my chops a bit about that. 😉
That said, it’s interesting to see where my mindset has changed and also where it’s stayed the same. I still have a real love/hate thing with nostalgia, and I don’t really see that changing. Mostly, again, because there’s a lot I really don’t want to relive. Some things are best left where they are and all that.
The title for this post is from a Van Halen song called “Take Me Back (Deja Vu)” off 1995’s Balance album. It’s a departure from what the band is normally known for, but it’s truly a beautiful composition that really captures the feeling of nostalgia in my opinion. If you’ve never heard it, give it a listen.
Funny thing about nostalgia is I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it.
Sometimes I feel like if I spend too long reminiscing I’ll forget to look forward.
How’s that line go?
“Don’t bother looking back. You’re not going that way.”
I think the reason I lean that way is because there’s a lot of things I really don’t like looking back at. Took the trip, bought the shirt. Done, thanks.
All set, thanks. Some journeys don’t need to be revisited.
That said, in spite of myself, a few things still conjure up those good vibes and great memories.
Music is a big one for me, as I am sure it is for a lot of folks. The biggest for me is 80s rock and metal. Good times, good friends. Hanging out at the local parking lot blasting tunes just looking for another good time.
(Yes, I shamelessly nicked both a Van Halen and a Motley Crue lyric within that paragraph!)
I recall the sights, the sounds…The fun.
And for the briefest of moments I even miss my mullet. Very brief moment, mind you. 😄
I remember trading in the mullet for a flat top after I joined the service (A good trade from a style perspective, mind you). I remember the feeling of apprehension riding that bus to Parris Island for the very first time in the dead of the night. What the hell did I get myself into? 🤷♂️
I remember the mud, the bugs, the sleepless nights, the early mornings under the hot Carolina sun. I remember thinking that I couldn’t wait to get the hell off that island, party and listen to some music again. How I’d kill to hear “Panama” right now.
There’s a ton of memories and a song for almost every single one of them.
While I loves me some rock and metal, I like a lot of different genres and a lot of those conjure a flood of memories too. High school dances, teenage heartbreaks, friends gained and lost, graduation parties, etc. etc.
I could go on and on all day, but as Axl Rose so eloquently said in the song “Yesterdays”…
“I ain’t got time to reminisce on novelties”
Here’s to the memories y’all.
The Beginning At Last 
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