Nostalgia

(Summer 1987 or so)

I have been hanging around Facebook a lot lately. I have found people I have not seen nor talked to in over 20 years. What seems amazing is that in some ways, it is as if we have never parted. Granted, right now we are all just reliving our pasts, but we are also learning about how each other has grown and changed. People talking about their children. People I knew as teens talking about breaking out a bottle of wine. Although things have stayed the same, some things have defanately changed!

I don't know if nostalgia is such a good thing, though. We only seem to remember the good times, this puts a lot of pressure on daily life. Daily life is a combination of good and bad times. When we selectively remember only the good times, our present cannot ever hope to compete.

I guess one of the things that makes me sad about all the nostalgia is looking back at all of the old pictures. I used to think I was fat and ugly. I look at that picture now and my thought is, "I was kinda hot!" But I would never have stated that before.

I keep thinking about the sound "Everyone's Free (to wear sunscreen)" as I write this. It seems like my youth was a waste. All the things I didn't do because I was afraid. All the people I didn't approach because I thought I was ugly. The only satisfaction that I can take from this that I would not be the person I am today without these past experiences. Would I be a better person if I took these risks? I don't know. Would I be a worse person? I don't know that either. I can never know. All that I know is I think I am pretty ok, so I guess my past did its job ok.

Please do read through the words to "Everyon's Free" they are pretty simple but sometimes we need to be reminded of the simple things. Reminds me of preaching to pastors: They need to hear Jesus loves them too!