Nostalgia and Zombies

I have been struck lately by moments of nostalgia. Alarming, I know, considering I am only 23. I thought nostalgia and romantic notions of days gone by were for old folk, people who had past their use by date, and hankered for the old days. You can flush them when they often begins sentences with, "I can still remember... when our family used to *sniff* gather round the 'ol gramophone and share stories of the war..."

But nostalgia can hit you hard in unexpected places. Nostalgia is romantic, but it is in the higher meaning of the word that is of import to us. It is a longing for something past, like a game of backyard cricket when you were nine, or the home baked cookies your Mum used to make for you after school.

Nostalgia is a personal experience, unique to the individual, and a tribute to past memories and emotions. For me, feelings of nostalgia are most often associated with music. Is this the case for you?

There are particular songs in my collection, that when I hear them I can clearly recall my emotions at that time of my life when the song meant something for me. There are longings there that words can't describe, but joy is a good place to begin.

Songs like "Zombie Eaters", Faith No More and "Save Tonight", Eagle Eye Cherry and "What I be", Michael Franti and "Scar", Missy Higgins and "on and on and on. They remind me of memories from high school, of books I had to read for year 7 English, of my meeting my wife, and getting engaged, and summer drives, and surf trips with the mates and so on. What a joy it is to be able to reflect on our past experiences, music seems to take me there, and back again. Paradoxically it makes me yearn too for the future, for next year, and the one 10 years ahead.

So, I guess if you're listening to a song over and over, don't get all too flustered about getting over the song. Remember in a few years time the songs you listen to today will remind you of the life you are living now. Will that be a good thing or a bad thing? Either way, it will be nostalgic...