Longing for the old place in the old days

It seems that many of us long for the good old days, and those of us that were born in some charming locale also long for it.

This is particularly true of expats like me. In my case, I left my little cute corner of Europe more than 41 years ago, when I was the exact same number of years younger and when living and lifestyle in that part of the planet were significantly different from what they are today.

So, we get stuck with this idealized memory of days past, in which good memories seem to have overridden bad ones that have been conveniently long forgotten if one's outlook on life is mostly positive.

This explains why it's easy to fall into the trap on longing for something that no longer exists or has become vastly different, with a body that is no longer as capable, and with a state mind that has been severely impacted by its new culture and is also a tad more cynical.

A perfect storm for making a terrible decision.

When this longing enters the picture, it's time to become highly skeptical, pinch oneself and admit that bygones are bygones and that only the “here and now” is what really counts.

Not the romantic, sugary impressions that try to hijack our memories and our common sense back into some fantasy land that might never quite existed as we remember it.

Instead, listen to some of your favorite oldies from the seventies and don't change anything to your life!