I have always found comfort in the past. Then again, I’ve always loved history. I remember when I was in elementary school, my father and I would listen to the popular Who Was? series on Audible. I was always excited to learn more about the fascinating people of the past. Looking back, those car rides with my dad are what sparked my love for history.
Anything related to history has always brought me a deep sense of comfort. To me, there is something magical and oh so lovely about things from the past. Seeing how history unfolded brings me calm, and I’ve always wanted nothing more than to carry little parts of it into the present with me. Whether it’s a toad-in-the-hole recipe from the Roaring Twenties, sewing a 1950s circle skirt, or recreating Regency hairstyles, these small things make me feel like I’m experiencing, admittedly in a tiny way, history itself. And that thrills me.
Many people have told me that the past is a waste of time. And yes, there are certainly ideas from the past that are best left behind. But there are also beautiful things the past has given us. I get chills every time I walk into a historic house, and I want to appreciate moments like that.
In the end, I can’t say for sure what makes the past so comforting to me, only how it makes me feel.