My horoscope suggested today that it is a good thing to reminisce as long as my foot is firmly in the present. I will agree that stepping backward in life and continuing to live in the past is completely counterproductive. However, to reminisce merely means an account of a memorable experience and in and of itself is not a bad thing.

I practice reminiscence quite often; sometimes consciously, sometimes not. The times when memories are triggered most often occur through sounds or scents. For example, the scent of bananas reminds me of first grade as my mother continuously stuck a banana in my satchel and it always got smashed. First grade also is triggered by the smell of floor wax. It’s a comforting thing really.

The sound of seagulls and crashing ocean waves remind me of the summer I spent in St. Peter Ording on the German Nordsee and it calms me down to a point of complete serenity. There was something magical about that summer and each trip to the beach bears the same result of reminiscence.

The smell of fresh baked pastries reminds me of my grandmother’s kitchen as she was always baking something and again, I love the feeling of security this triggers.

On the flipside, the smell of stale tobacco and alcohol triggers a definite discomfort as my father was an alcoholic who consequently died of liver cirrhosis. The fights at my home during those years still linger in my memories and I do not like to revisit them; they make me feel helpless and put me into survival mode at the same time. I understand this about me so I truly try to separate the now from the then; it can be difficult at times.

There is value in reminiscing. It can serve as a compass to your character, guide you in your decision making and help you understand your reactions to certain (and oft inevitable) life events. It’s impractical to wallow in the past as it can district from day to day living and moving forward. An occasional visit to the past can be quite comforting though. I chose to embrace the memories that trigger feelings of security and comfort; the rest, well...you learn to live with it and deal with them from a detached adult point of view.