Nostalgia and Regret

Last night the local PBS affiliate broadcast a recently taped Electric Light Orchestra concert.

Listening to their old songs produced a serious fit of nostalgia in me. This morning, I rooted thru my collection of old 45 rpm records, some in pristine condition, found a bunch from the mid '70's (my formative teen-age years), cranked up the old stereo....and got to thinking....

How may of us end up having very mixed emotions when we walk down memory lane?

I go thru serious paroxisms of "coulda-woulda-shoulda" when I play songs from my misspent youth. It often takes a bit for me to get back to the realization that life is what it is and the decisions I made at that time were the best I could with the faulty and inaccurate life information given to me.

And, actually, the current totalty of life hasn't been completely misspent. It's been unusual, and not what most people's lives are like, but, damn! I've learned some interesting stuff and gained a great deal of wisdom in the process.

Perhaps I should put away the ELO and start listening to the Black Eyed Peas. I'm 44, but my life isn't over yet.

--Tish G
(for more on the effects of nostalgia on forgiveness, go here)