The other day, I saw a video of Phil Collins (who is now 74), and it stated that he had retired from music and put his drumsticks down in 2022 due to physical limitations. Diabetes and complications from spine surgery after all those years of playing the drums in that position left him hardly able to even walk over to his drums — but he pushed through and did it. The smile on his face was something that immediately made me homesick for my childhood.
This cannot be the same guy from my childhood who belted out “Sussudio“? What even is a “Suss-suus-suudio”? No one really knows; we just know that we sang the heck out of that song in the ’80s, along with many other songs of his.
Then I saw something else online: Kurt Loder, a popular news correspondent on MTV (back when MTV actually played music videos) turned 80 on May 5. What is going on?! 80?!
I realized quickly that now that I am older, and all my childhood icons are either passing away or are elderly now — and that is just something I can’t wrap my mind around.
I still watch General Hospital. I’ve been a soap opera lover since I was a kid and have been watching since I was 16 years old. I grew up on Days of Our Lives with the original Bo and Hope — and who didn’t love it when Marlena got possessed by the devil? It was ICONIC. My mom sends me Facebook reels of old clips, and I love them. Thanks, Mom!
Clint Eastwood, Chevy Chase, Eddie Vedder… the list of childhood icons goes on and on. Oh, by the way, Clint Eastwood is 94 years old, and Chevy Chase is 81, in case you were wondering. In my mind, all of these people are exactly how I remember them in my youth and in their movies. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is the forever age of Chevy Chase in my mind.
What really did me in, is that recently one of my very favorite childhood shows came to an end. The Conners, previously known as Roseanne, made a comeback within the last couple of years with most of its original actors. The nostalgia was real. I have vivid memories of watching this show as a kid with my family, and my upbringing was similar to the show, so this one always had a special place in my heart.
Memories of watching the show with my mom and dad, relating to the kids’ perspectives of injustice and being misunderstood, hearing my parents laugh at the parts I didn’t quite understand (since I was still a kid), but later in my adult life knowing exactly what it meant. The struggles of everyday life, paying the bills, just trying to make it day to day, coping with all of it through sarcasm and humor — and really, the point was having each other to get through it all. The theme was this: what’s most important in life is being surrounded by loved ones and having happiness and health.
So, when the show ended, they just said to each other, “I’ll see you later.” No goodbyes. Goodbyes are so final.
I am not much of an emotional person, but when they did this, I got all choked up. I felt like I had just said goodbye to my childhood for the last time, and at the same time, I felt content that I had a happy childhood and that shows and icons of my generation were a big part of that.
The nostalgia stung. It also served as a reminder of how important it is to cherish every day. No matter how hard life gets. The possessions we carry in life aren’t what’s important — it’s the people and the memories. So, my wish for you is to stop and take a minute for yourself with everything that is going on in the world and in your life today. Stop and take a minute with your thoughts. Tune out the noise and think of your childhood, and those nostalgic, happy memories. Not the bad. Just focus on the good.
This is what we want to pass on to our children. This is what’s important. You will now be that nostalgia in someone’s life. Embrace it and treasure it.
Now I have a tear in my eye again because the nostalgia is still stinging, but it’s okay. I am here for it. Gen X and my Millennial friends, we got this!
I’d love to hear of some of your favorite nostalgic memories of “the good ol’ days.” People, places, or things — let’s reminisce in the comments!
