Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

I don't like the feeling of nostalgia, but at the same time I do. There are things that I love that I refuse to let go of, and then there are things that I used to love that I will look back and smile at, but feel at peace with letting them go. One such thing is my previous username, Overly Manly Man. Of course I loved the name, but I suppose it was just time for a change. I remember that at the time I chose that name I was heavily into memes and collecting them. I still am to a certain extent. I currently have 4600 memes in my meme folder on my phone. My old phone had over 8000 saved onto it, so I would technically be at around 12600 memes if my micro sd card didn't break. Although I am still into collecting memes, I spend more time on Gaia just talking with people about their problems and sharing supportive and comforting advice. I suppose it was about time I changed my name to reflect what I do most on this site.

I still have my old name saved on an old avatar I used to use before this one. It will serve as a symbol of my past and how I put away childish things. Well, I guess most of my childish things, as I still enjoy a lot of the things that I used to enjoy as a kid, I just express myself in a more mature way. Time has a way of helping one reflect on their past and learn how to better oneself, which I suppose I did. I'll probably look at my old avatar and that username every once in a while and I guarantee that I will smile. I will remember the things I used to enjoy as well as be reminded of what I still enjoy. The feeling of nostalgia is refreshing, but what I don't like about it is that I will sometimes feel saddened because of my nostalgia. Some things remind me of times I will never have back, simpler times when I could hang out with friends in a stress free environment where the only problems we had were the awkward teenage feelings we had for whoever our crush was. Or times when we had freedom to go to the beach at 1am and chill watching a movie together (I'll talk about this one day, but I did this a lot with one particular friend). Or times when we would, on the spur of the moment, grab Jack In The Box or Taco Bell at 1am in the morning and play some League of Legends.

I won't ever have the chance to do some of those things with the same gusto as I had in the past, as time brings change and new responsibilities. This is why nostalgia doesn't sit well with me sometimes, but I guess that may just be me. I remind myself that I should not regret my past or look back so often, but sometimes there is a feeling of bliss when I think of my past and what once was... Simple. If you are reading this and you are young (I'm 25, so I'm talking to anyone 20 or younger), I'll give you some advice that you may have heard many times already. Cherish what experiences you have right now and don't grow up too fast. Also, don't be like me. Pick a job that doesn't force you to grow up too fast unless you seriously want a crash course on ethics and discernment. Love life and live it simply as long as you can.