Nos.tal.gia – A sentimental longing or wishful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations…. Familiar color, sounds, aromas
After moving so much it is safe to say that my relationship with this word is quite strong.
Memories of smells in certain rooms of the many houses we lived in, the sweet recollection of all the sounds of laughter and music in the familiar get togethers. All of these stored in my head, heart and silly diary entries.
But there is one single memory I have failed to capture, and it is the pain (and most times anger) that I felt when I had to leave each and every city I have had to say goodbye to. And I am not fooling myself by thinking that this pain is forgotten or is never coming back.
This past week I said goodbye to my job, leaving behind a lot of hard work and passion, with the uncertainty of what it will be of my career come September 2018. I also visited the Central Market in Sao Paulo, Brasil and was reminded of so many different tastes, sounds associated with happy memories.
Come this October every single month I will be reminded of the pain of saying goodbye. I will strive to deal with changes by remembering all that will stay after these months of travel. All the pain will be left behind and the benefits that I don’t even know what they are and the memories I cannot even start to imagine that I will have, will stay.
And nostalgically I will remember each of them, and what I learned from those who nurtured my time abroad.
