There are certain things which I enjoyed as a child that I think I now enjoy for as much nostalgic and novelty value as I do for the actual objective enjoyment of the actual object or activity.
A prime example of this: Klondike bars. They’re deceivingly messy and not as delicious as a half-prices generic ice cream sandwich. But if I eat them now, I’m also remembering all the Klondike bars I ate as a kid, and when I first discovered that ice cream novelties were an entire formal portion of the grocery store. And that’s like eating magic.
Another example is the game Capture the Flag. I’m out of shape and it’s an exhausting game with very little definitive action. There’s a lot of feinting, back-and-forth, and – eventually – panting and walking. But, it also turns everyone into a kid again, when winning was all that mattered! Until you lost. Then it was just the fact that you had made that one awesome capture or gotten away from Speedy Mike.
I think one of the broadest examples of this is media. A few months ago, I watched about half the first season of Boy Meets World. I really enjoyed it, but I think mostly because I remember watching it as a child. The show itself isn’t terrific. The dialogue is groan-worthy most of the time and the lesson of each episode is highly predictable. And yet, there’s something special about watching something that you last saw with very different eyes.
It’s not a bad thing. It’s just a different type of appreciation. I think it’s part of the reason that there’s always a generational gap of understanding. The things that we’ll attempt to get our kids interested in are things of dubious quality that we mainly like for sentimental value. Of course they wouldn’t get it!
Except Boy Meets World. That show is timeless.
