Director’s cut

It was an ordinary street sign: a green rectangle, fixed atop a metal pole, white letters indicating the street name. A common sight. But special to me. Meaningful. It was at the end of the street I grew up on: Seagram Ave. And in the summer of 1991 I had to move from this safe and familiar street. As distraught as I was (as teenagers can be) I was determined to apply my surly energy to taking down that sign to stow it with me.

Dressed in black, in the dark of night, I met my best friend at the street corner (she also lived on the street and empathized with my distress). The sign was well out of reach. We were unprepared, unsurprisingly. I hoisted my friend up to have closer look. It was quickly clear this heist was not going to work. The wrench and screwdriver were useless even if we could balance long enough to use them.

That sign did not budge. It did not make the move with me. It did not hang on the wall in my new bedroom.

I had hoped to display it along side my poster of Rob Lowe.

I love nostalgia so I was thrilled to find out one of my favourite 80s icons was also a fan. That’s right, Rob Lowe himself. He was a special guest on one of my favourite podcasts, The Happiness Lab, talking about nostalgia. Like us ordinary folks, Rob’s nostalgic memories are often triggered by music and smells. For Rob, the scent of hot air, pines and salt water remind him of the very first time he set foot in California, and for me, eating a mulberry transports me to our backyard “fort” at Seagram Ave where the tart purple berries would fall. While our memories are vastly different, for both of us, it’s like a time machine bringing our minds back to a feel good time.

I love the 80s as much as the next guy….but I love that I am not anchored to one era or movie. The 80s is merely a fantastic chapter that a lot of people like including me.

Rob Lowe, The Happiness Lab, Season 3, Episode 1 (Why Nostalgia Ain’t So Rosy)

A fantastic chapter indeed. One that I lived through from the security of my childhood home on Seagram Ave…with pages torn from Teen Beat magazine to adorn my bedroom walls.

These 80s memories are a fun little happiness boost, but in the words of Rob Lowe: “true happiness is being present in this moment.” It’s not in the past or looking ahead. Who knew there was such wisdom in those blue eyes and dazzling smile!

As momentous as the move was at the time, I adapted, I moved on, I was okay. And studies have shown that when we remember a certain memory, most likely, we are misremembering it.

Our brain does not have the hard drive to take video recordings so it edits our memories. Without realizing it we delete the boring bits and the bad bits, thereby casting a rosy glow on our past experiences (called “rosy retrospection”). Like a movie director, our minds enjoy a good story, so we cut and edit our memories until we are left with the fun parts.

For me the attempted heist is just that: a fun story. It doesn’t matter I didn’t get the sign (and probably best I didn’t!), the joy is in the memory…and a shared laugh with my friend as we recalled the long forgotten memory together.

This blog helps me document memories, nostalgic and new. As director of my show, it’s my highlights reel. According to the WordPress count, this is my 100th post…100 memories buffed and polished to a rosy shine.

I am thankful to have so many great memories and I look forward to making more, whatever they may be. Any travel dreaming still requires a good dose of flexibility, but I can be certain the near future will include watching another season of 911 Lone Star. A second season is available to stream, and Rob Lowe, still, dazzles.

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