What does nostalgia mean to you?
Lofilovers, what does nostalgia mean to you? As we enter the second half of October, we can’t help but notice the changing leaves, the cooling crisp air, and the return of pumpkin spice everything. Every time we enter autumn (arguably the best season) we feel a sense of closure. A curtain closing on what was a thriving spring and adventurous summer. At least, that’s how we feel most of the years we have been in existence. This year has obviously been a bit different. Over the course of spring and summer, we experienced something truly astonishing – the onset of a global pandemic. We were forced to stay inside, to limit our social activities, and to give up normal, day-to-day life as we know it for the protection of our health and community.
Time for change, time for fall
It has been interesting to see how things have evolved over the course of the year, from the acceptance of mask wearing and social distancing, to the increase of remote work and productivity hacks. It is worth noting that throughout our history, we humans have learned to adapt to whatever comes our way. While the effects of the pandemic are devastating and ongoing, we are continuing to dig deeper and find some way to overcome it. By adopting safe practices and rethinking our professional structures, we are further adapting to whatever the universe throws at us. But, with the onset of fall and the coming winter, we know that things will be tough. So take a walk around your neighborhood and enjoy the fresh air while it is pleasant, snag some pumpkin bread, and break out that flannel!
Drive-in theaters
Returning to this idea of nostalgia – we are constantly asking ourselves what we are nostalgic for. What events cause us to feel these feelings, and what is our response? Over the summer we saw a resurgence in drive-in movie theaters across the country. In an attempt to create activities that are socially distant, we brought back one of America’s favorite pastimes. The first official drive in movie theatre was created in 1933, and over the next two decades exploded in popularity. Drive-ins really hit their stride in the 1950s and were seen as a more flexible option for family fun over the movie theatre.
Nowadays, we see most drive-in theaters in operation show classic films that people want to see out of nostalgia for a different time. This summer we drove down to New Braunfels, Texas to the Stars & Stripes Theatre to see The Outsiders. Admittedly, we wanted to return for a showing of Grease but didn’t make it. The experience of going to the drive-in was complete with cheese fries, corn dogs, and a breezy summer evening. Of course, we know that drive-ins as a booming business didn’t last long, as most of them were independently owned and the expansion of towns, suburbs, and cities drove the price of land up. But we are glad for the ones that did remain and stay in business, especially now.
Create the vibe
Even if you don’t have a drive-in theatre accessible to you, you can recreate the vibe with an inexpensive projector, a sheet, and a speaker. Even if it is in your living room! We have done this in our backyard, on the roof (when we lived in Philadelphia) and while camping. It was well worth the effort because it gave us something that was a bit out of the norm. Yes, watching a movie is pretty standard these days, but recreating a different environment in which to watch your film of choice brings it to the next level. And we all know we could use whatever excitement we can get these days.
