Mission Driven Monday—Nostalgia: A Recipe for Joy
Let’s talk about nostalgia. Yes, nostalgia. That complicated, heady emotion that tends to invade our thoughts as we age. It’s a longing for the past, even when we’re fully rooted in a present
Last weekend, my daughter and I found ourselves home alone together, so we decided to go thrift store shopping. Is there a name for this? I don’t know. We want to be the kind of people who discover the most amazing and unique pieces at our local Goodwill, but. spoiler alert: we aren’t.
We hit a few stores, (old stuff, broken stuff, stained stuff, stuffy stuff) and I found myself getting bored. I just don’t love poring through musty racks of other people’s clothes. But I tell you what I do love—books! And there’s no shortage of books at the local Goodwill. While my daughter scavenged for the perfect pair of jeans, I parked myself in front of the books and plucked two Southern Living cookbooks off the shelf.
To be sure, I was a loyal Southern Living subscriber for years. Before Instagram, before Pinterest, before the multitude of foodie blogs I now follow, that’s where I found my true inspiration. I have a three ring binder filled with recipes torn from its pages, and so here I was on the dusty floor of a second hand shop, idly perusing dishes I’ve made a hundred times and reminiscing about the good ‘ol days with the magazine.
Four years ago we downsized our house, and with it went my collection of books. In fact, I actually owned a few of these Southern Living cookbooks. Guess where they are now?
If you guessed the local Goodwill, you’d be right! In fact, I might have been admiring my VERY OWN books!
At only $3 each, I couldn’t resist bringing the books back home.
That’s the power of nostalgia.
I just wanted to spend a couple of days scribbling down a few new (old) recipes. Memories that remind us of our earlier experiences can be a powerful tool for soothing anxiety in the present. Nostalgia is complicated. Sometimes it hurts, especially if we long too much for a past that will never be. I don’t want to go back to my 25 year old self bumbling around my humble kitchen. I made a lot of kitchen blunders back then.
I’ll keep the books for a couple of weeks and then return them to Goodwill for someone else to enjoy. These days, $6 experiences are hard to come by. For me, the nostalgia brought joy on a weekend that otherwise would have been spent piddling around the house.
And for that, it can’t be beat.
What would you spend $6 on to remember your past?