There’s something kind of nice — safe, even — about nostalgia. It’s not living in the past, but looking back fondly. For me, it can sometimes help me change the frame of mind that I’m in (which is usually something I need to do a lot of during this time of year. Raise your hand if you hate winter!).

It always amazes me how memories are not only visceral, but sensory, as well. A lot of people associate different smells with different memories. I’ve been known to do this from time to time. I’ll say something weird like, “Oh, it smells like 2nd grade in here!” (crayons and recycled paper) or “This place smells like my 5th grade teacher!” (heavy perfume masking alcohol).

Music, for me, is the best way to evoke different emotions and get at that nostalgia. That’s probably not really shocking, especially after all the attention I’ve given to music and music-related posts lately.

And nostalgia, for whatever reason, tends to come back most frequently to childhood. For me, that happens when I get stressed out and sort of tired of being an adult. I suspect it’s that way for a lot of people. We get tired of all of the hassles and responsibilities of growing up and we just miss the days when our biggest responsibility was getting our times tables finished for homework or remembering to take a jump rope for recess.

In truth, I have an actual post planned for this blog. I wanted to write it last week, but waited until I got some more resources. As I type this, it’s 12:59 a.m. on Friday, February 3rd. The last time I looked up, it was Sunday afternoon. I have no idea what happened to this week, but I was buried under a mountain of work and some other matters that needed my focus. So hopefully we’ll get to that one next week. Today, though, I want to share some music.

If you read this blog frequently or you know anything about me, one of my greatest joys is sharing music. It’s why I made people mix tapes as a teenager and why I became a DJ in college. It’s why I’m always trying to get someone to listen to something.

This is music that makes me feel safe because I’ve decided the nostalgia theme is going to be … Parents. What music reminds you of your parents when you were little? Some of it’s going to seem really weird. Keep in mind that 1.) I grew up in the 80s/90s and 2.) I have a really broad taste in music. It’s my “no worries” music. And of course, after I share mine, I’m going to want to know what your list is. So without further ado…

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