Nostalgia

(Because I don't want to write/think about football, let's write/think about something else)

Nostalgia's a funny thing. I don't know if I'm just imagining things or if my generation actually are obsessed with it. Every time we're sat in the pub, especially with my mates from home, conversation always seems to crawl into it's tardis and travel back in time. Not that I think nostalgia should be shied away from because really, who doesn't enjoy alcohol fueled discussions about which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle was best (Leonardo obviously) or which high school teacher you fancied/despised (Mr Broderick/Ms Bestwick).

My circle of friends have all known each other for a good ten years, some even longer than that (I punched Jake in the face when I was seven) and I think we just like to cling on to the memories. Maybe it's because the past is certain and the future isn't. Talking about the previous makes us all feel a bit fuzzy and warm on the inside, (or maybe that's the beer?) but memory lies. Memory is whatever we want it to be. I think that maybe, when you leave teenage-dom, when you're seen as an actual adult, you feel the need for nostalgia. You finally feel "all grown up" and that you're now allowed to talk about the past with a glint in your eye and a knowing smile. Because the "old days" were so much better, weren't they? Actually no, in reality they probably weren't, it's that sneaky bugger nostalgia rearing his head again, he enjoys coddling you and telling you that, in the words of Slade, "the old songs were the best", so on and so forth. I can't believe I just quoted Slade, but I digress, my point is, I think us British have a sort of doomed attitude. We're always convinced everything is so awful nowadays and the past was a nice and happy place to be. Kids these days, they all have knives! Eee by 'eck I remember when a bag of salt 'n' vinegar was only 27p! Recession! Immigration! Terrorism! Yadda, yadda, yap, yap!

Just stop. Life really isn't that bad and back then, life really wasn't that good either. Yes, things change, but so do people. We adapt and just carry on living. Bad will always happen and believe it or not, so will good. Don't forget to remember that.