The Little Things Erin Brandt

The Little Things

Nostalgia is defined as experiencing emotions caused by remembering the past.

Nostalgia… It can bring you back to a specific time just by the smell of a certain scent.

A clean scent like the soap in the bathroom of my grandma’s house Memories replay in my mind like a slideshow: Playing Wii Bowling downstairs, Solving the Mt. Rushmore puzzle with the one missing piece for the thousandth time, And flipping through the morning paper looking for the comic section with Garfield and The Family Circus These were all an essential part of each visit.

Getting a whiff of the spring air takes me back to my old daycare Swinging on the playset, feeling like I could fly, Eating lunch on little plastic picnic tables, or just lying in the green grass soaking up the sun and staring up at the bright blue sky.

Nostalgia… It gives you flashbacks just by hearing a certain song.

Thoughts of walking through the fair with friends as a trendy new pop song blends in with the chatter of the crowds resurface for an instant when I hear the same song on the radio.

When I hear Y.M.C.A., I think back to track and field day Kids who need an extra layer of sunscreen run around clutching their blue and red ribbons trying to find their classmates As the events wrap up, everyone is herded back to their classrooms for a final goodbye But not without grabbing a sticky sweet treat that quickly melts in the heat.

Nostalgia… It can be found within the pages of your favorite books.

Walking into the school library allows me to reminisce I recollect the afternoons spent listening as the librarian read us The Boxcar Children The soft thuds of footsteps climbing up the tiered platforms ring in my ears The rush of excitement as I looked for the perfect book alongside my peers Racing each other to the train cubbies where friends converse in hushed tones.

I hear the echo of my mom reading to me Waiting in anticipation for the day to turn to night Slowly being lulled to sleep by the many mischievous mishaps of Marley the dog Waking up and begging to be read to just one more time.

Nostalgia… It can be caused by the little things.

Nostalgia… A look into the past that’s as fleeting as a summer’s breeze.

Nostalgia… A glimpse of what life used to be.

Erin Brandt, Grade 9 Roseau High School, Roseau Teaching Artist, Frank Sentwali