If memories could be like destinations you could travel to for a vacation, where in your past would you go?

There are so many days, weeks, months and even years going through my mind right now that it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to choose just one. I'll try my best.

I'll go back to August, 2008.

At the beginning of that August, my mum tracked down my dad's old car...a 1979 Holden Torana - she sold it in 1995 because after he passed away and money was a lot tighter, she couldn't afford to run such a petrol guzzling car. After she found it online for sale, she rang up the man who was selling it, who was the same man we initially sold it to. She bought it back.

We went down to Thredbo the following week. I grew up in a small town, around 30 minutes from Thredbo, called Berridale - we still own our house there and I absolutely adore the house, love the area - everything. We drove down in the Torana, we stayed there for 2 weeks.

We went skiing on the days when the weather was nice, and we'd been fortunate to come down right after a huge snowfall, it was perfect (because, generally, Australian snow isn't something to rave about!), and on the other days, I caught up with friends, as did my mum and we just hung around.

It was that winter that I realised I felt such a strong attachment to that place, and that I was drawn to it. I savoured everything about it. The walks down the footpath to the General Store, the smell of the wood-fires in the evening, the cold, crisp mornings when the water in the dogs bowl outside had completely frozen - just everything. I was just happy in every sense of the word, while I was there. A simple happiness achieved through virtually nothing. It was wonderful.

The song of that moment, was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEKEjpTzB0Q&ob=av2e

Not my usual kind of music, but I do remember it being on repeat on my iPod that whole time. Every time I hear that song now, it reminds me of there, and it brings a bittersweet feeling with it.

:)

This question made me smile : ) I've had bite-sized moments of bliss this year, and if I could momentarily escape to there before it ended, I would.

I remember crying for days and days after I returned home from New Zealand because the experience was overwhelmingly.... awesome. It truly was the highlight of this year so far, and I was incredibly happy despite a minor feud between myself and a friend occurring. I know it's not really that far in the past, but I felt amazing then. Standing on a board and sliding down a hill is a surprising confident boost and those small moments of success made me so happy. I also had the privilege of befriending people in older grades in my school, and it was the seed that made the blossoming friendships that I have now. It's funny that the second favourite memory that I'd retreat to was another international journey. But during that time in my life, I too was in an awkward adolescent stage. I stayed over a friend's house last night who went on the same trip, and I cringed at the horrible photos. I've truly changed internally and externally since then, and it isn't until now that I realize that. I've given myself so much grief over my appearance, but I'm not the same person as I was then and the photos are almost unrecognizable to me. Despite this, it really was an awesome time. I don't think I'd retreat to these memories for the places, necessarily (Although, they were amazing), but because of the experiences that I had.

Another memory that sparks to mind was when I was little and had my Golden Retriever puppies and used to play outside with them for hours. It was at my old house, that I love and wish so much that I could move back there, and it was just blissful. A lot of my favourite childhood memories are formed through this stage of my life and with both of my dogs. It seems random, but whatever. I miss my childhood in general, actually. I remember cooking in the kitchen with my Mum, throwing the football around with Dad and cycling with my brother.

At the moment I'd like to be anywhere pre-high school. My computer's crashed and is currently in repair so I'm borrowing Dad's. I had a mini-break down today over not having access to my assignments and after 6 consecutive hours of working today, I'm currently at a stage of content and am less stressed. Random side note, but when I was in pre-school I used to *beg* my teachers for homework. Oh, that memory makes me laugh a lot.

(((((hugs))))))

~ Florence

I can actually think of many times in my life, some only a day some months. But the time that comes in at number 1 is my whirlwind courtship of my wife in 1981. We met on January 30 and were married November 21. We barely knew each other for a few weeks and I was practically living at her house. The only time we went to my apartment was to use the swimming pool. We developed this cozy routine of sitting in bed together eating Chinese takeout and watching The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Of course later we'd turned off the TV and made our own love fantasy.

I'd send a postcard to myself saying, "Hold on to what you have as long as you can. Life is too short and time is fleeting.

Great question! I must have been about 8 or 9 years old, accompanied by my grandmother & her friend. The 3 of us took a ferry from Manitowoc, Wisconsin across Lake Michigan to some woodsy area, where we spent about a week in a tiny cabin in a small village right on the Lake. No phones, no TV, nothing but serenity and peace. I swam every day, picked fresh berries, and had a great time just relaxing with my "elders" and their friends. Wish I could do it all over again!

From the deeper throbbing vaults of our own heart, from along the immense sun-kissed or gloomy and even wind-swept shores and landscapes and horizons and heavens and yonder of our own vibrant soul, memories of the past is what we do have and know. If we sort of could take a vacation back to the beautiful events and thus for a while live on in those events sort of materially, it would be all-right for me, provided that it could be a travel with a return and more free ticket into the present for a future.

My dreamy class-excursion along a sun-kissed shore to the blue western ocean once I do not know which year, but once in the middle teens of my life, infuses me of a glowing nostalgia. I would love again being there, I would want to never change anything, that never anything would be changed. What I since then have been and have become, the treasured memories of all that, is coloured by the event, by the memory and a paper picture that keeps it glowingly alive.

I should never wish to change anything, because whatever happened and followed, good, delicious, dreamy, bad, painful, regretful and shameful for all the involved sins and errors, made possible my presence and unfolding in this world of now.

The only ardent wish that I would have would be to be able and allowed to get back on to the present for a future. Also, I would love to be able to send "post-cards", perhaps the one with the glowing lady when I told her that her bike was strong as herself, perhaps the one picturing the great sun-kissed shore and me not daring take off my clothes because of not being meant to do so, perhaps other post-cards and movies of those events of ardent and daring adventure.

But now, with all the treasures and burdens of all that past life, with all the joys and pride and with all the shame from that life, and while not wishing to change a dot to those ardent holy pictures of life, my great wish will be to be able to go on for many years in life while doing so that in whatever I am doing, and loving to do or am supposed to do (must do) I am more diligently working at building up, or more ardently adding up to, some great event and good memories for a future, all those doings and events that at least ethereally will make me wish to take a holiday back to.

Amen. Have a great nostalgic laugh.

I would go back to the time... when I was pretty much younger... maybe a preschooler... I remember waking up at the crack of dawn, before the sun came up... getting cranky and later excited... walking with my grandfather to get some bread and vegetables, with my neck aching from staring at the sky and watching it change colours...obviously, being the klutz I was, I tripped, and have a few faint... scars... but sweet memories... of being a "big girl"...

Leisurely long breakfasts... skipping and waiting for the bus, delighted to have done all my homework, without help... running up the stairs of my bus, and later riding the bus, pretending that it's a train, or a carriage... a buggy... or something or the other...

Reading at the library, after-school visits... looking through new sections... fingering the hard spine of adult books... and eventually borrowing one... walking down the lane with my grandfather, answering seriously silly questions solemnly...

Being dressed up by my grandmother, in weird clothing(things that I wouldn't get into, not for a million dollars)... enjoying the smell of sandalwood smoke and jasmine garlands... perching on top of the kitchen counters, incessantly annoying everyone about something I need to tell... and Lego blocks... long hours of building battleships that could somehow fly... hiding from my family members in the laundry basket... in the closet... under the bed... flipping through pictures... long walks in the park... playing with the swing at twilight... rushing home before the sky turns dark... solemnly watching the news, and later retiring to read my book... being fed by my grandmother, when I insistently sit, reading the book... past dinnertime... being herded off to bed, and later sneaking down, stealing a torch and filching the book... reading under covers, till... well I miss that time...

If I were to write her a post card... I'd... congratulate her for not choosing the pink and absolutely hideous book case, and for destroying the ladder of my double decker bed.

And a postcard to someone else... telling him that I love him, and that I'll try my best to live his dreams... despite everything.

Thanks.

Cheers!!!!

I would go back to the time I still regret...I wish I didn't do some things in life but they r unchangeable...but we must learn to let go and learn from our mistakes...and remember everything happens for a reason. We must accept whatever happens and just pray for the best. We should not live in the past but the present and think about our future.

The moment I looked into my mother's eyes for the first time...being one of the places I would like to go back to. There are too many places I'd like to revisit. Both good and bad, random and insignificant...or insignificant to others. I think every moment is significant. It's how we perceive the past moments in the future that makes us feel nostalgic when looking back on them.

"A memory that only goes in one direction is a poor memory indeed!" - Red Queen to Alice

You seek after mirages!

'Memories' are not windows into some 'past', they are 'thoughts' that we perceive Now!, the only thing there is is Now!

It is these 'memories' wherewith we imagine that 'past' actually exists anywhere but in/as 'memory'!

There is no 'future', no 'past', just Now! and Now! and Now! All moments of existence, ever, all synchronously perceived/existing!

"The Laws of Nature are not rules controlling the metamorphosis of what is, into what will be. They are descriptions of patterns that exist, all at once... The four-dimensional space-time manifold displays all eternity at once." - Genius; the Life and Science of Richard Feynman

'Time' exists as 'thought' alone!

There is where 'time travel' exists! That's it and that's all. There will never be any little machines to whisk anyone into a 'thought'!

'Total Recall' (movie reference) is about as close as we can get to 'time travel'!

I would go back to when I was 5yo, that was before the death of my paternal grandparents who were very kind and giving and have been an inspiration to me as far as what I would like to be later on. It was also before an unfortunate event which, although very traumatizing and heartbreaking, has taught me to stay humble (or at least try to), to forgive and to give without looking back.

Postcard would probably say: "Don't worry. It works out at the end."

Very interesting question :). Hope China is treating you well!