Don’t dwell on the past. Wake up and smell the roses. Both give sound advice. I start this post with these truisms because I don’t want it to seem like I’m ignoring them in much of what follows. Indeed, what’s done is done, and if we focus on the past, we often fail to acknowledge and appreciate the great things happening around us now, even if we can’t see it now (and possibly yearn for what we have now later). That said, embracing nostalgia, which is in many ways the opposite of such advice, can yield therapeutic effects.

I found it interesting that so many adults retreated to hobbies and interests from their childhood during various lockdowns in the COVID-19 era. For adults, leisure time is quite the commodity. But, during lockdown, much of what we typically do for fun as adults wasn’t really feasible. What could we do? Binged all your favourite TV shows? Exercise? Do all those DIY projects you’ve been putting off? Check, check, and check. Then what?

I started reading comic books again, catching up on the Ninja Turtles and Batman after a 25-year hiatus. I even went back to regularly watching pro-wrestling. Were these as fun and magical as when I was young? No, probably not. Then, why bother? Maybe boredom. Maybe I was curious to see what they were like now.........

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