Remembering, letting go, and moving forward
As the leaves on campus gently start to fade into orange, we are reminded of a brand new school year ahead and the end of another summer season. Many of us may feel that time is fleeting, our degree and our youth passing us by all too quickly. The adjustment to a new home, new classes, and new people can feel like an uncomfortable or unwanted change, especially when leaving behind an old home filled with familiar faces.
The grief for what once was will follow us through each season, each new beginning. It serves as a reminder of where we came from, what shapes us, who we are, and what we want to become; it is the path that led us to this very moment. It is no surprise that, almost cyclically, this aspect of human nature extends beyond our control—those photos on the walls of our minds will stay hung, no matter what. Whether these feelings of grief are fresh or have softened into bittersweet nostalgia, those golden memories belong to us, and the lessons they provided will continue to serve us in all aspects of life. Although it hurts to leave the past behind, a friend told me recently, “Your new life will cost you your old one.” Never have words felt so true. Just as the trees around us shed their leaves to grow fresh buds, we too must change with the seasons to become whole again. Memories, and those who gave them to us, are precious; the pain of nostalgia is a blessing because it is proof that we lived—that we were loved.
Still, it is hard to grasp the implications of a memory, whether it be sad, happy, exciting, or frustrating. We are conditioned to feel a pang in our chest at the thought of something removed from the present. These complicated feelings are hard to work through, yet they are our most humane and universal qualities. At the very least, we can use nostalgia to revisit defining themes of our lives, carrying forward the insight we have since gained. When we reflect on both joy and hardship, nostalgia allows us to re-enter those memories with greater clarity and compassion, while understanding that nostalgia is not an enemy. Through all of the bittersweet yearning or hurt, we are actually reminded just how wonderful it is to have this ability, and to have had these moments which have since turned into memories filled with beautiful and sorrowful nostalgia.
So while another school year commences, marking another fresh start, let us release the tide of the past, so that it may leave behind shells and conches full of nostalgia, reflection, gratitude, and love, for us to collect on our walk forward. It can be frightening to leave the things we love(d) behind, and it can feel scary to continue into the unknown. However, is it not scarier to stay in unstimulating comfort, without challenge, and without opportunity? Allow nostalgia to come and go, as the waves of wind do when whisking away dead leaves. Similar to
nature, grant people and things the right to stay and leave; bear witness to memories, new and old, as you continue into a new cycle. But please, dear reader, do not be afraid to create these moments, to experience the emotions of fullness and emptiness, and to feel nostalgia in all of its shades, seasons, and colours. Because really, when all is said and all is done, how lucky were we?