Nostalgia

There's that thing about teenage summers, I don't know what it is but they are golden in the remembering, like most things, but there's something particular about those summers so that I keep trying to work on stories about it and them and very specific locations that I was only in for a moment compared to all the other places in life. I haven't been back in about ten years, and since then I've spent a lot of time (for whatever reason) picturing and thinking and writing about silly things like the walk to the beach where we stay.

I disagree with this writer wholeheartedly. Teenage summers? 50% of them I was working. The other ones? Not. memorable. at. all. Except, actually, I do recall this: being really upset and surprised that I was BORED THE ENTIRE TIME. I remember feeling like "what the heck? Summers used to be the best! Why is this so shitty?"

I think if you want cozy nostalgia, head back to elementary school. When everything that you learn makes the world a more interesting place. Where the cruelties of children are solvable by hitting them on the sly. And they hit you back and you both get time out. When I think of some of the worst times in my life, they were pretty much all teenage years. Not that my 20s haven't had their shitty times. But gimme the single digit years. Before I wanted to grow up and move out, which is what I spent ages 10-19 doing. Hoping that every tomorrow was better than today. And not changing anything, so the tomorrow turned out just the same.

I don't miss my teen years. I am happy to have them behind me.