Nostalgia

This past Tuesday, I went to one of our Inspired Life events where Erinn Frees, a board certified music therapist, talked about music therapy and how she uses music in her job to care for people. It was a fantastic talk where we didn’t just hear about her work, but also got to experience some techniques ourselves.

One idea that stuck with me was the power of music to resurface nearly forgotten memories. I find this happens to me several times each Advent and Christmas. A familiar tune will play on MPR and I’ll be transported back to singing the same carol during Christmas at Luther or in youth choir during Lessons & Carols. That vast gulf of time suddenly collapses as the memory rushes back to you.

Other sensations can also bring up distant memories. The taste of a freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookie might remind you of those summer Saturday mornings spent with your mother. The call of a cardinal might awaken thoughts of the first warm, sunny day after a cold winter. The earthy smell of leaves might remind you of raking up golden red piles with your father and then leaping into them.

Memories can be positive or negative, forgotten or cherished. Especially this time of year it can be tempting to try and seek out nostalgic settings and events to remind yourself of these favorite memories. I think you should enjoy the good memories when they come, with some moderation; for if you only think about yesterday and relive past memories, you could miss out on making wonderful new ones.