Mahiya Rade, Week 15: Seashell Siren Call
When the world is too much to bear, or frankly just a bit too mundane, I have always been able to escape by immersing myself in nostalgia. I have a small collection of memories which are a delight to rummage through on a lazy afternoon, full of warm, gleaming scents and snapshots which I treasure as much as any of my childhood hoards of seashell, if not more. Yes, many of these memories are from the beach—I spent most of my childhood in SoCal, and if you know anything about “down south” or whatever moniker there is for that area, you know the coast is gorgeous. But it's not the mere image of the ocean’s beauty which I truly value. After all, prettier pictures can be found on edited desktop wallpapers.
Sometimes, I miss my old mind.
Never again will I be able to face the ocean as a stupid child. I say “stupid” with love (and to be honest I'm not too intelligent now either). Yes, I believed in unicorns and fairies when I was seven. I believed in more than myths and fairytales, though. I believed in just about everything and breathed the world. And isn't it beautiful and so comforting to know nothing, not even that you know nothing, with a head too empty to worry? And then the ocean is a thousand times more vast and blue.
Hello, Mahiya! How fun is it that I have just come from Anthony and Lana’s blogs that also talk about nostalgia! I find it fascinating that nostalgia acts as a temporary getaway for you when times get difficult or boring; I think it is an entertaining concept that nostalgia comes in the form of day-dreaming for you, a form of escapism. Although we live in Northern California (the Bay Area to be more specific), it was nice to learn that you actually are from Southern California. With it you tie memories of the beach and coastal sunniness to little trinkets of the ocean, seashells. Even then, that isn’t the true value of SoCal, which you mention cannot be reduced down to material things. Although I think you should give yourself more credit to your intelligence, I understand what you mean about facing the world with a naivety that has been long lost to us. It is never again that I will be able to navigate through life without a clear sense of consciousness, which brought with it simplicity and ease. I greatly appreciated your blog, which got me to reflect on my own journey through the past, and I hope you have the same amount of enjoyment writing our last blog next week.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mahiya! I found your blog to be so whimsical and fun to read. Not only do I resonate with your love of the ocean I also am familiar with nostalgia. However, instead of enjoying reminiscing on past memories I find myself slightly downcast. I miss my childhood deeply. But, reading your blog showed me different way of viewing nostalgia. Instead of wallowing in the absence of these memories I should enjoy their existence within my life. Another thing I felt similarly was missing my old mindset. I sometimes think back to a time when I was not so anxious all the time and stressed out about life. Thank you for writing this blog and I really hope to read more from you in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Mahiya! I like your idea of using nostalgia as an escape for when the world gets a bit too stressful. I totally relate to the feeling, only for me it isn’t reminiscing a place from my past but instead a time. I like to think back to the past few summers, all of which were so full of character and life. Junior year has been hard for pretty much everyone, so thinking back to a time when we were all free from the stress school puts on us helps calm my nerves. I also like how you talked about nostalgia being something so unique as we reminisce moments we’ll likely never experience again. That’s what makes them so special and why I find nostalgia such a special feeling. It provides us with the comfort of a moment we only experience once, making it all the more special.
ReplyDeleteHi Mahiya, your blog was just like the siren call of your title, I immediately was drawn to it. From the amazing picture to a fairly interesting title, it seemed like a really enjoyable blog, and indeed it was. Your memories of a blissful childhood where you enjoyed knowing nothing is so relatable, and I sometimes wish I could also go back to that time without worries. I remember the days when I would stay out until 9 PM on a hot school day, playing in the street with my friends and not worrying about anything. I really enjoyed this memory of the past, and I loved reading this blog. I can’t wait to read the next one!
ReplyDelete