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Friday, April 5, 2019

"That Feeling" by Luis M


It is indescribable. A sentiment that strikes all of us when we least expect it, and forces itself into the deeper end of your soul. It’s very uncertainty can overwhelm us to the point of tears. 

We call this feeling, nostalgia. 

Nostalgia is essentially a coping mechanism. It often stems from a negative emotion, like being homesick or an inability to forget over the past, but it ultimately results in brightening the overall mood of the person tenfold. This has been happening a lot to me lately. I believe this is the certain day and age of my life where I begin to understand this essential feeling and what it means to me as I grow up. 

I often encounter nostalgia in music, mostly in classical pieces. My favorite piece in particular is “Gymnopedie No.1” composed by Erik Satie. When I first heard this piece, it invoked a feeling in me that I couldn’t understand. It was as if I heard this song many times before, or was associated with a memory I never had. Eventually, I came to the realization that I have heard this song before, or at least a similar one at that. This other song was “Sweden” by C418. This song embodies my childhood. It was a part of a popular video game called Minecraft. I remember it as some random song that played in the background while I played, but little did I know, it engraved itself into my head to the point where I could see it in other music. This is where the nostalgia really hit. 

I began to look into my favorite Minecraft videos around 2012 and I downspiraled into hours of unraveling my past. It made me really happy to watch and ponder on. But watching them also made me realize how times have changed. The person I look at in the mirror is not the same one who ate Kid’s Cuisine while watching Suite Life on Deck on a weekday . It was so simple back then. Everything was. And no matter how bad you want to go back, to not have to care again, you never can. Those times are gone, just as the version of you that lived them is. But that doesn't mean you have to forget them. Just because you cant make new memories that are exactly like the old ones doesn't mean you can't make more that are just as good. Just because you can't go back to when you were happy, doesn't mean moving forwards is sadness by default. Eventually, I know I’ll be in my 20’s looking back at how good I had it in high school. 

So there I was, 12:35pm on a Sunday night watching Minecraft videos; my mind blown and my confidence of the future growing all because I felt the need to relive my memories. So to that, I say give it your all! Go to prom! Travel far and wide! Make memories! Because you never know when you might need that boost of confidence in the future. 

“Life can be only understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Soren Kierkegaard

31 comments:

Angelina Lim said...

Luis, I can relate to this blog post because recently I have had the deep thoughts of how time goes by quickly. I like how you used old childhood memories to describe your nostalgic feelings. Great job!!

Noah Palmer said...

This post is not only a good blog but an incredible life lesson. I can relate to your desire for the feeling of nostalgia, and that feeling of knowing that you can never go back to the old days. The quote at the end is also fitting for this piece; you did incredible on this blog, good job!

P.S. Sweden by C418 slaps every time.

Sofia Hormaza said...

Luis, I completely relate to this piece. Especially as seniors in high school, ready to continue on to our future careers and such, I believe we have all felt these feelings of nostalgia and looked back at the past with an appreciative attitude. I really like the quote you included at the end as I feel it really connects to your overall message. The examples you wrote on Minecraft and "The Suite Life on Deck" are personal and readers can easily relate and understand what you are trying to say. Good job!

Isabella Carrillo said...

This was an amazing encouraging piece. It helps to encourage people to focus on the present and to have a little fun :). I really enjoyed this.

Eugene Kim said...

What a relatable article! I definitely agree that we are starting to approach the age where we may feel nostalgia as we watch, listen, and feel things that we may have felt or did in the past. Your vivid descriptions of how you used to spend your days was very reflective of my childhood as well. As we move forward in life, I am sure that we will continue to make memories that we can look back on fondly later in life. Overall, you did a great job writing this article and I hope you continue to make fond memories!

Valarie Ly said...

I can relate to your piece greatly. I often look back at my past events and wonder what would be different if one thing had changed. I'm glad you see this feeling as an encouragement to try new things and learn from your actions. Great job Luis!

- Valarie Ly

Matthew Ulloa said...

I haven’t played Minecraft in a very long time and this post brings back a lot of memories. Nostalgia has hit me a lot too after I realized that graduation is coming up quicker than I thought it would. I like your message at the end to look back at the past but to move forward in life to create more memories. This was very well spoken, great job!

Alex Lau said...

I loved how you described that incomprehensible feeling that is nostalgia. If anything, the feeling of it is the wonderment at the times gone and how someone's lived. We only feel nostalgia for the things from long ago and that we enjoyed or remember fondly. And if we want that amazing continued feeling of progression in out lives, nostalgia is only made when memories are.

Chad Leron-Madsen said...

Bro, why are we all living the same lives. That Minecraft song really hit close to home on god. I feel exactly the same way you do, and wish I could go back in time to even last year or the year before, or when i was a kid back in the good old days. This really motivates me to just do stuff and say YOLO man. We should enjoy everyday as if it is the good old days. Great job Luis, this was truly an epic gamer moment.

Ivan Larrondo said...

I never knew the exact definition of nostalgia but your writing made me understand it more. When you mentioned Gymnopedie No. 1 and Sweden, I immediately looked them both up and recognized the similarity.

Mackenzie Tipple said...

We are so lucky to be able to feel the feeling of nostalgia in my opinion because we can feel a good feeling from our past that we may have forgot about. I agree that it isn't something that we can really describe and when we do experience it we never expect it, it just hits us. I like the quote that you included at the end to tie it all together. Good job.

Paul Aureus said...

Luis, I too have been feeling nostalgic lately. Watching Minecraft videos and seeing how simple life was back then. We share these commonalities like watching Disney channel or waking up early in the morning just to hop on Xbox to play CoD or 2k. Life was so simple back then and thank you for reigniting this sense of nostalgia. -Paul Aureus

Anonymous said...

Great piece Luis. I've feel nostalgic a lot, especially since we're about to graduate soon and things will be changing in our lives.

Nufsat Khan said...

I really loved this blog piece as i can totally relate to it. I always think about how we change and how life leads us to new experience and situation. And you don't actually realize how fast the time is going by until you stop and think about it. This blog post made me stop and realize how time flies and how grateful i should of everything in life and appreciate every little things in life.
- Nufsat Khan

Anonymous said...

I love how you talked about your piece like this. Though your word choice you were able to give it such a nice feeling to it as if i was able to look back at memory lane and remember all of the good times that I had. Another thing that I liked about your piece is how you added the quote at the end of it which perfectly fit the theme of your story-Sezar Guitron

alicia kaing said...

Luis i really liked this piece! I liked how you associated nostalgia with both a positvie and negative emotion. I think many of us can relate to this feeling, thinking back to our childhood and realizing how much has changed. We can either feel sad about it or just be amazed at how much we've grown up. Great job again!

Mason Song said...

Luis, I can completely relate to this. I also have felt a great deal of nostalgia along with sadness that I will be eventually leaving high school, just like how you described yourself at Kid's Cuisine a long time ago. You really brought up this relatable feeling that us Seniors are experiencing by sharing this, but also I really liked how you ended this on a positive note by showing that nostalgia doesn't have to always invoke a negative feeling, along with the potential happiness the future could bring as well. Nicely elaborated!

Unknown said...

Luis, I really like how you not only gave the definition of nostalgia, but also gave an in-depth description of it through your personal experiences. I also like how incorporated the cause and effects behind the idea of nostalgia. Lastly, the quote that you placed at the end tied everything to what you were saying in the short story, which in my opinion was very well done.
-Mayur Chhitu

Kyleigh Leonard said...

Luis, even just reading this began to make me feel nostalgic. It feels like all seniors are feeling pretty nostalgic and just now realizing that high school is actually coming to an end for us. I enjoyed reading about the music and how you tied it into the minecraft story. This was really inspiring and made me realize that I have a lot to look back on. You did such a great job!

Anonymous said...

I loved all the examples you provided on nostalgia and also giving us the definition of it as well. This was a very deep and thoughtful piece that connects to both positive and negative emotins for me that made me thing about situations that could have changed if done differently. Great job!! -john b IV

Taylor Archuletta said...

Luis, I really loved your piece especially the part about reliving past memories. It really caught my attention when in the last part about you know living life to the fullest basically, thank you for that!

Anonymous said...

Really great post Luis. I have had similar experiences, even down to the Minecraft videos! Sometimes nostalgia just hits you like a train, and you have to indulge it, and wave after wave of emotion washes over you. -Mirza Baig

Bill said...

Although I was raised in a completely country, I did share many of the same experiences. We've all come so far in life and just being able to recall past memories for that feeling of nostalgia is just amazing. Loved your piece, great work!

Anonymous said...

Luis I can completely resonate with the message of nostalgia that you give off in this passage. Sometimes you really wish that you can go back to the good old days. Really great work! - Nathan Brown

Anonymous said...

Luis, glad to hear about your experiences with nostalgia. How people share nostalgia experiences is also interesting, glad to hear your interest in music from past to present. -Andrew Macias

Evanne Turner said...

Great piece Luis. I have had a few similar experiences. I like how you defined nostalgia and gave your ow experience with it. Good job!

Omar Sandoval said...

Being someone who also use to play Minecraft, the background music started playing in my head while reading this. That brought back some memories, I like the references you used to describe nostalgia and the message at the end. Great piece!

Anonymous said...

Intriguing to say the least, this piece was spot on describing that nostalgic feeling in your chest. Our experiences mold us into who we are now and yours did just that, looking back on past memories gives us all that special little feeling. good job luis ! -ella

Anonymous said...

Intriguing to say the least, this piece was spot on describing that nostalgic feeling in your chest. Our experiences mold us into who we are now and yours did just that, looking back on past memories gives us all that special little feeling. good job luis ! -ella

Unknown said...

This was an easy fun read, which makes me realize I should focus on the present more. While the future is in reach, yet I should indulge on the time I have left. - Julissa Saenz

Eric Chang said...

This was an excellent piece Luis, I also have been having lots of nostalgia lately as well and it really makes you wish that time traveling is real so that you can go back in time to recall the experience or to change things. Great Job! - Eric Chang