Well, hi there folks!
Here we are again.
Our first Monday of June.
The dog days of Summer are right around the corner!
Let’s hope that Mother Nature gives us some sunshine again soon!
Because she has been giving us plenty of rain recently.
And quite honestly, we could use a change of pace from the gloominess.
Well, let’s get down to business.
Oh, and by the way, welcome to post 308!
WOO!!
That is a lot of posts!
So, if you have been with me since the beginning of this blogging journey, I thank you.
If you are just joining me, I thank you.
If you read here and there, I thank you.
If you find yourself journeying over to my words when you are lost, I thank you.
If you are someone that comes back faithfully week after week, I thank you.
My hope is that these posts deliver some type of joy, sunshine, and positive energy that invigorates your soul to feel good.
Well, let’s get down to business with this post 308!
Let’s look at a few definitions to start off this week’s post.
Nostalgia:
-A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations
Childhood:
-The state of being a child
Right now, with the state of the world and all the shit that is happening, there are times where I like to find myself delving into the nostalgia of childhood.
They are moments that allow me to escape from the reality of the world and give myself warm fuzzy feelings to keep pushing forward.
Here are some of my favorite things to indulge in with the wonder of childhood nostalgia.
- Drinking a can of orange soda (whether it is Olipop, Poppi, or Sunkist)
-I don’t know what it is about orange soda, but sipping it always brings out my inner child. To me, orange soda just screams nostalgia. - Watching The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
-Even at the age of 37, watching this movie still makes me laugh and giggle, especially the blustery day portion. And cuddling up to this movie with a blanket on the couch or bed gives me all the wonder of childhood nostalgia. - Eating Stouffer’s frozen macaroni and cheese
-Each time I have a tray of this Mr. Sunshine indulgence (which is not something I do frequent), I often think about sleepovers I had at my Grandma Neidermyer’s house growing up. This was always something that I could count on as a meal as we sat and watched different cooking shows on The Food Network. She was definitely a Stouffer’s lady too, especially with getting older and not finding energy to cook much. - Watching episodes of The Brady Bunch
-This always brings me back to the childhood memory of watching this TV show with my family during the Summer on Nickelodeon when they did “Nick at Nite” theme weekday blocks of classic TV shows. It was the best. Miss those days. - Sleeping on the couch
-While I don’t sleep on the couch much anymore, the times when I do remind me of the moments when I had sleepovers in the living room with my mom. I would sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor and we would watch classic TV shows. The one I remember the most is The Mary Tyler Moore Show. This was probably the only time in my life when I enjoyed being in a sleeping bag! - Hearing the music of the ice cream truck
-Every once in awhile, I hear the jingle of the ice cream truck and I get transported back to my childhood when I would run up to the truck with my cash money and indulge in either a rocket pop popsicle or ice cream cookie sandwich.
Being able to have these moments of escaping into the wonder of childhood nostalgia are glorious and wonderful.
Never letting go of your inner child is oh so important.
With all of the darkness that surrounds us on the daily in the world, it makes it even more important to have these moments of slipping into nostalgic childhood memories.
Take a moment.
Look at yourself in the mirror.
And find within your heart the wonder of childhood nostalgia.
The warm fuzzy feelings are waiting for you.
Capture them.
Escape to them.
And relish in them.
Sprinkle sunshine always,
JP!
Mr. Sunshine Smiles 