Do you remember when you were a child and the world seemed magical? Colors seemed brighter and our imaginations were so full, we changed how we view everything. The deep end of the pool seemed as though it were an ocean, and as you jumped off of the diving board, you were walking the plank of a pirate ship. When we visited the zoo we were no longer on Earth, but instead a foreign planet full of unknown tropical animals.

As children, we were unaware of true meanings, which caused us to create our own world. We were influenced by story books and children’s television shows because that was our source of education. Our imaginations were so realistic, we were physically able to see the pirate ship we escaped from as a child. We could see Tinkerbell and the lost boys flying above us as we hit the ice-cold ocean water.

These are amazing memories we are able to hold with us as we go through our everyday lives, but have you ever tried to recreate these memories years later?

As all human beings, we tend to reminisce on past memories and sometimes wish to relive them. Whether we are reliving these memories for ourselves, or for our children, reliving these memories is never the same. Have you noticed how doing this can also cause our memories to change?

When revisiting the zoo, the unknown planet filled with various plants and animals seems different. The zoo is just an ordinary zoo, and there is nothing special about the “foreign planet.” This tends to happen when we try to relive our childhood memories.

As we grow older, our imagination begins to go away. We are taught the meaning of things which means we no longer have our imagination to create false definitions and memories.

Because we no longer have a strong imagination, when we try to relive these memories for ourselves, we are left disappointed and unsatisfied. These memories are meant to stay in the past.

It’s like a childhood television show. The show that always comes to mind, for me, is Full House. Full House was an amazing television series. The show occurred when my mother was in middle school. She watched the show and so did I and my younger cousins. The show was a hit, so Netflix decided to recreate the show, now titled Fuller House. Doing this had good intentions, but in my opinion recreating the show was a waste of time. Do not get me wrong, I loved seeing DJ and Steve get their happy ending, but the show tried too hard to recreate previous episodes. All of the shows had some sort of parallel to the original Full House series, and it was just boring and felt unoriginal. That is the same dissatisfaction you get with recreating memories.

If we choose to not recreate a childhood experience we can hold that excitement we once had. Instead of recreating these memories, we should instead pass them on. What I mean by this is, we can share it with our children and younger generations.

By going into a past experience with a different expectation than when you were younger, you will not be left unsatisfied. Instead, you can help your child, niece, nephew, or sibling live the memory instead. You can help influence the way they see the world so they can feel that joy you once did.

Please, stop trying to relive memories for yourself. Instead, help others to see the magic in the little things.