anemoia – n. nostalgia for a time you’ve never known
Imagine stepping through the frame into a sepia-tinted haze, where you could sit on the side of the road and watch the locals passing by. Who lived and died before any of us arrived here, who sleep in some of the same houses we do, who look up at the same moon, who breathe the same air, feel the same blood in their veins—and live in a completely different world.
Don’t miss full transcript below…
There’s an old saying:
“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.”
Looking at old photos, it’s hard not to feel a kind of wanderlust
—a pang of nostalgia, for times you’ve never experienced.
To sit on the side of the road and watch the locals passing by.
Who lived and died before any of us arrived here,
who sleep in some of the same houses we do,
who look up at the same moon,
who breathe the same air,
feel the same blood in their veins—
and live in a completely different world.
It’s a world still covered in dust from the frontier.
A world of adults, whose lives are hammered out by hand.
A world of front porches,
of fires to light in the evening,
of conversations over a fence.
You’d watch as they carry on with their lives,
that seem so important.
Even if their story has already been told,
even if none of it risks turning out any other way but the way it happened.
But they carry on anyway.
The past is a foreign country, and we’re only tourists.
We can’t expect to understand the locals,
or why they do what they do.
We can only ask them to hold still,
so we can capture a photo to take home with us.
So we can sit for a few minutes in a world of black and white,
with clean borders that protect us from the rush of time,
like a tidepool just out of the reach of the waves,
that lets you linger in the moment—
so clear and still
you can see your own reflection.~ John Koenig
Notes:
- Source: Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
- For related John Koenig posts: Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
Live & Learn 
This is perfect. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Loved it too Georgette, thanks.
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Brilliant, thanks for sharing!
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It is Maria. This man does great work…
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brings a depth of quietness, understanding. insightful. his voice soothing. wonderful footage.
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Yes, agree with all of that Sandy. Complete package. Well stated.
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Thanks for sharing this. This is great, it leaves you thinking of how much the world has changed from comparing it today. Amazing and beautiful this is… Thanks.
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It is beautiful…and amazing. I agree. Thanks.
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Excellent choice for nostalgia unknown but cherished. Thank you.
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Yes, well stated…
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Reblogged this on The English Professor at Large and commented:
This post is given to us by Live & Learn. At this time of year, when nostalgia is near, it fits.
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Thank you for sharing.
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How I loved this…and though we be but tourists in lives that aren’t our own, I think we would find that certain fundamentals transcend time – love, sustenance, work, community. Ok, perhaps we’ve really diluted ‘community’, but as for the other stuff? Yeah, definitely.
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Yes. Definitely. This clip and its message is transcendent. Love that word and it fits right here.
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yes – and such a wonderful word.
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Yes.
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Opens up an interesting line of thought when family ties and memories of loved ones gone are at a high point due to seasonal holidays. Have a lovely holiday – Lorian
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It does Lorian. I never tied it to the holidays but it certainly is timely.
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At first I thought it said “ammonia.” Which also can describe family “a noxious gas with a pungent smell.” LOL Happy holiday!
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THAT IS FUNNY!
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“…with clean borders that protect us from the rush of time.” This clip really grabbed me, DK, and particularly this phrase. This time of year always brings a rush of nostalgia, and more so to me this year for some reason. Guess turning 50 has affected me more profoundly than I realize. At any rate, loved this…
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Glad you loved it Lori. It left me with in a state of melancholy as well. I guess that is why he calls his venture “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows”
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Thank you so much for this. I am in the middle of doing a family history while life moves on in the here and now. This is a perfect find just now!
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So glad it was helpful Gill. Thanks for sharing.
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Reblogged this on THE STRATEGIC LEARNER.
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Thanks for sharing John. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
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Poignant post, thank you!!!!! Could it be, the things we bring into our lives from the past, such as various antiquities, arts, porcelains, books, that we are fascinated with, are the reminiscence and love of our past lives (as believed by such practices as Buddhists and reincarnation, the child who reaches for the object on a tray of many things, and picks up the very one thing that he possessed in his past life as a monk)!!!!!
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