Throughout the years, the love for the most significant holidays or events sometimes become less noteworthy. Looking back on the enjoyable childhood traditions or watching a video of you blowing out your candles at your 7th birthday can be sad. While the smiles in those moments were authentic and genuine, it can be bittersweet knowing that now, we may need to be reminded to smile in a picture.
The magic of the fictional characters on a holiday is what all kids look forward to. The Easter Bunny is crucial to what makes Easter so special. Senior Molly O’Riordan shared her special memories from Easter. O’Riordan stated, “When I was little, I would get a basket and everything and the Easter Bunny came and I got all these chocolates.” O’Riordan looks back on her childhood traditions during Easter and has made some realizations about what they mean to her now. O’Riordan shared, “It’s just not as present anymore and it’s probably just because I’ve matured. I guess the kind of innocence and naivety that some holidays warrant, I don’t have anymore, so I can’t enjoy them as much.” It can be hard to live in the moment knowing that there is not much to look forward to because maturity can be the thief of joy in some instances.
Having less responsibilities is always a plus and senior Avery Yasukochi is now realizing the reality of growing up. Yasukochi stated, “Having the security of your parents and your family and not having to worry about adult problems like taxes, I think that’s really nice. I feel like obviously I’ve taken that for granted, but I also have been able to acknowledge the fact that it’s not always going to be like that.” Growing up and having to think about things your parents have always taken care of is a sad, but real wake up call that not everything is going to stay the same.
It’s bittersweet looking back at old memories and senior Jackson McCreadie shared his own experiences when reminiscing on the past, “I think it’s a warm feeling remembering those memories and how you felt in that moment, but then it’s also sad remembering that…you’re probably not going to have that Easter basket here, probably not going to have to investigate if the Santa Claus is real.” As McCreadie thinks back on these fond memories, he expresses that, “the feeling that you get is nostalgia, and I think it’s a weird feeling, because you feel both good and bad at the same time.”
O’Riordan, Yasukochi, and McCreadie share similar feelings about growing older. The reality that maturing comes with more responsibilities and less joy. However, O’Riordan shared an insightful message that makes growing older less sad. O’Riordan stated, “I think change is something really beautiful, and I feel like sometimes when I’m looking back on my old holidays or old celebrations, I can just kind of see how much I’ve developed as a person, and I don’t think that ever has to be a sad thing. I think it can just be kind of something beautiful. Like you see how I’ve grown and what happened in my life to make me who I am today.” These words are very inspirational and it’s important to understand that things are going to change no matter what in life, but that is okay, and we all have to remind ourselves that our current situation is not our final destination.
