About nostalgia

Our kid is 10 months old now, and somehow, we already find ourselves looking back at the past few months with a sense of nostalgia. It’s funny how time works—how moments that felt so ordinary at the time now feel so precious and fleeting. We catch ourselves scrolling through photos of when they were just a tiny newborn, or even further back, to the days before they arrived, when life was quieter but also emptier in a way we didn’t fully realize then. Nostalgia has this strange power to make us miss things we didn’t even know we’d long for until they were gone.

But why do we all feel this way? Why does nostalgia tug at us so deeply, even for moments that weren’t perfect or extraordinary? Maybe it’s because life is constantly moving forward, and nostalgia is our heart’s way of pausing to hold onto what we’ve loved, even if just for a moment. It’s a bittersweet reminder of how much we’ve lived, how much we’ve changed, and how much we’ve gained—and lost—along the way.

Dealing with nostalgia can be tricky. It’s easy to get lost in the past, to wish we could go back and relive those moments or do things differently. But I’ve found that the best way to handle it is to let it wash over you without letting it pull you under. Acknowledge the beauty of those memories, but also remind yourself that they’re part of what shaped the present. And the present, even with its chaos and challenges, is its own kind of beautiful.

I try to channel that nostalgic energy into gratitude—for the moments we’ve had, for the people who’ve been part of our story, and for the fact that we’re still here, still growing, still making new memories. Nostalgia doesn’t have to be a sad thing. It can be a celebration of how far we’ve come and a gentle nudge to cherish what we have right now, because one day, this moment will be part of the past too.

So, I hold onto the nostalgia, but I also hold onto the present—our little one’s laughter, the way they reach for us, the messy, exhausting, wonderful chaos of now. Because someday, I know I’ll look back at this too, and I want to remember it all.