Recently, I hung out with my best friend that I have known since kindergarten. This was the first time we had seen each other in person since 2021. In 2021, we were adjusting to a somewhat post-pandemic world and our different high school experiences. Oh, how things have changed. Now we both go to universities with quite a distance in between, with majors that require some sort of post-grad. Our lives seem to be too busy to manage sometimes, we can hardly find time for ourselves. In the midst of a chaotic life, we found a couple of days that worked for our schedules and stuck to it. Those couple of days happened to heal my inner child, while also making me extremely emotional and nostalgic.Â
There have been many times when I have brought up the thought that a decent chunk of our population has no idea who One Direction is, crazy right? While it may not seem like anything grand to the average person, to my best friend and I, two huge fangirls whose first loves were the members of this British boyband at the ripe ages of 6, it is quite the epiphany. I mention One Direction because during our best friend reunion, we mainly watched One Direction music videos and the “One Direction: This Is Us” movie. Apart from our fangirl activities, there were a few moments where I felt like a little girl again sitting with my best friend on the couch, singing (off-key) to our favorite people and obsessing over scenes that played on the TV. The only way I could describe this moment is that quote from the movie, “Perks of Being A Wallflower” said by Logan Lerman, “And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite.” While it may come off as dramatic, that is how it felt just singing along–laughing, and talking about what was with one of the most special people in my life. There is freedom in just existing in moments that nourish your inner child and heal it.Â
Today just thinking about that moment, there is a bittersweet feeling that stays with me. As we grow up, we are often told that our likes or hobbies have become “too childish,” or we simply forget that our days are not as leisurely as before. This is all a normal part of growing up–sad, but normal. There is far more to nostalgia than just being a feeling. It is bittersweet and almost painful, but it has quite an important role. Living in those moments of nostalgia allows us to remember what truly sparks joy in us, even if just for a couple of hours, it has such an impact and gives us a sense of how much time has passed. Nostalgia allows us to be grateful, not only for certain moments but to still be here and able to kind of relive the past in a way. Intentionally making time to see my best friend was one of the best decisions, I mean, there was not much of a decision, other than “Yes of course I want to see you” because I would not have wanted it any other way. Time truly is a thief, but it is giving. Time has given us the gift of nostalgia, perhaps not in the nicest way as that feeling is often a mixture of pure joy and longing, but we can always appreciate our moments a little bit more because of it.Â
To my best friend and soul sister, you are the suspenders to my button-up. Â