Hey there, friends! I’m Corey, and I created the Nostalgia Diaries. I’m happy you stopped in to take a look around!
First, a few little tidbits about me: I’ve lived in 5 states, I’m named after a song, and I have a slight obsession with Harney & Sons Green Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea. I don’t sleep much but I don’t think it has anything to do with the copious amounts caffeine I consume; mostly it’s because I would rather be reading, writing, blogging or creating things. I’ve always wanted to create something beautiful, and I think I’ve done that here at The Nostalgia Diaries. Thank you for being a part of it with me.
And guess what? I wrote a book! Compiled from my Everyday Nostalgia essays, Blessed, Beautiful Now is a heartwarming and inspirational collection of stories telling how I embraced the present by celebrating my past and learned to love life again.
So why nostalgia? Well, I love looking back to the past and remembering the times, the people, the events, the moments, the places, and the things that made me feel close to family and friends, made me feel happy, and made me feel . . . well, alive. Traditions, family, food, music, vacations, road trips, holidays . . . the memories are endless.
And they are wonderful.
But I have always been curious about these feelings, because nostalgia sometimes receives negative press by those who suggest living in the past keeps you from being mindful of the present and prevents growth in the future. And certainly there are those people who compare today with yesterday, thinking those were the “better days.”
And there are those who perhaps want to simply forget their past.
But my experience with nostalgia is not that. While we moved around a lot, I was fortunate to have a happy, positive childhood in the many places we lived. And when I’m nostalgic, I don’t lament the loss of “the good ol’ days.” Nostalgia, rather, gives me a lift. It motivates me. It brings me closer to my family. It reminds me who I am and who I want to be.
As a parent, it also reminds me of the kind of life I want for my amazing daughter, Zoey. She’s my world, and I want to teach her every day how wonderful life can be when it is filled with love, happiness, and positivity toward the past, the present, and the future.
When I began to research about why my love for nostalgia was having such a positive impact on my life, I was pleasantly surprised when I found the many scientific studies supporting nostalgia as a life-affirming force that can be used to create wonderful, happy, and brighter “nostalgic-to-be” moments and feelings today.
And so . . . armed with science and a penchant for positivity, I decided to share my love of nostalgia with the world and start this website—The Nostalgia Diaries—to help fellow nostalgia seeker like you celebrate your own past in order to make memories now for the future. Here you’ll find stories, memories, thoughts, news, commentary, images, music, humor, and all kinds of other good stuff that will hopefully inspire you, make you think, make you laugh, and hopefully, provide you and your family a positive, safe, happy place on the interwebs.
My ultimate hope is that you can use what you find here in a way that will improve your life, your family’s life, a friend’s life, a stranger’s life, today and into the future.
So go ahead and settle in with a cup of tea, a thermos of coffee, a mug of hot chocolate, a glass of wine, (heck, even a flask of whiskey), and enjoy!
My writing has been featured on the following sites:
Trying Self-Acceptance On For Size | Holl & Lane
Come Sit Next to Me | Kindred Mom
Happy to Be Home | Kindred Mom
Status Update: Perfect | Kindred Mom
My child—you are worth it all | Motherly
I gave my daughter life—but she really gave me mine | Motherly
I’m Making Memories With My Daughter…And Leaving a Legacy | Red Tricycle
A Blank Canvas | Chief Gratitude Officer
Teaching Kids To Be Vulnerable is a Powerful Lesson They Need | Perfection Pending
To My Daughter After My Divorce – We’ll Be Just Fine | Perfection Pending
Tell Me About Your Day, Mommy | Perfection Pending
When It All Seems Too Much to Carry | TODAY Parenting Team @ Today.com
Be Brave, Little One – And I’ll Promise To Do the Same | Mamapedia
If you’d like to connect or collaborate, email me at corey [at] nostalgiadiaries [dot] com or use the contact form below. I’d love to hear from you.