Nostalgia Is a Hard Thing to Get Over

So, I was standing in the shower (because, you know, what else is there to do in a small space like that?) and as usual, my mind started to wander. I realized that, by the time I finish grad school it will be close to 2020. All of the friends whom I shared nostalgic conversations with will be in the workplace spreading the topic to their offices or job sites or wherever they may end up. In 2020, all of the 2002 and 2003 babies will be in college. Something about that is sad to me. It means that the place where my friends and I reminisced about things like old Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network cartoons we used to watch, video games we used to play, and movies we used to love will be filled with students recalling the rubbish that’s largely in the media now–things like Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber, Twilight, and so many other childhood favorites that (at least in the book category) all seem roughly the same. Ok, I’ll admit, I haven’t read a childrens’ book since I was, well, a child, but does anyone really read Junie B. Jones anymore? Boxcar Children? The Magic Treehouse? Goosebumps? Those books that are supposed to be like real diaries but they’re not? I’m glad to see that Harry Potter still occupies suggestions for what kids will want to read, because even though I haven’t read them (please don’t stone me, please don’t stone me!) they’re still part of my childhood. I don’t read much contemporary fiction. I’ve found it to be mostly similar in story–nothing has really captured my attention. I read nonfiction (let’s not go into all of the genres that spans) and the classics. For me, old fiction reminds me that there were people who cared that almost every typo was cleared from the book and that every line makes perfect sense. It reminds me that there were people who cared about the written word–and the fact that they’re still in existence makes me believe that there are still people who care about good, quality books.

In fact, I wish I still had all the books I read as a child. I think I’ll go find them and read them again. Hey, if you’re never too old for candy, then you’re never too old to reread books you loved as a child.