What was YOUR year when everything came together?
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Waiting for my
personality to gel |
Do you get what I mean? A year when, without planning it to be so, the disparate aspects of your personality melded together and you emerged into the light like the fledgeling human being you continue to be today? Sorry. It's probably too early for such an existential question. I apologise. I'm not trying to mentally tax you on a Bank Holiday Monday. It's just been on my mind recently. Since January, actually.
I didn't know it at the time, but I think 1996 might have been mine; my year when everything made sense. Before that, I was a child, keeping my head down, counting the days til I could leave school, home, and my immature ways behind. Then 1996 happened. It was truly formative. Seriously. Read this rundown of personal hits I experienced and tell me it won't had have an effect. I dare you.
- I had a cracking 6th form social life
- I met the person I would eventually marry
- I moved to a town far away
- I made new friends for life.
All that in one year. What a whirlwind. 1995 was nowhere near as eventful, nor 1997. Like the army slogan almost says, it was 1996 that made me.
Over the years, I've not given that much thought. Not really. But since this January, it's been on my mind a lot. And why's that? It's because, to my absolute disbelief, 1996 is thirty years old. I know! I can't handle it either.
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| More me in 1996 |
The past few months have seen me regularly, yet inadvertently, nudged by the ripples of nostalgia as various anniversaries have popped up. For example, I spent New Year '96 in Clacton. At that point, it was not home to Nigel F*rage, but a boy I really liked. I gave that some thought this year as the clock chimed midnight. Can that really have been thirty years ago? Now, three months later, as I think of that Spring, I remember turning eighteen, having Gina G's Ooh Aah Just a Little Bit playing as a continual ear worm for months, and meeting another boy - actually a man in his twenties - who ended up sticking around. All that in one season. Blimey.
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| I wanted to live in this house so much. |
This is where my nostalgia is up to - the spring of thirty years ago. As this year progresses, I'll be recognising other anniversaries that pop up too. Euro '96,* for example. I was all over it, that summer. In Autumn there'll be memories of moving to Uni and meeting the friends I've still got. Then there are the cultural hits of the day. Did you know that the BBC has added This Life to the iPlayer? It's currently sending me back in time on a nightly basis. If I now watch old episodes of TFI Friday on YouTube or listen to Jagged Little Pill, I'll be fully immersed.
This descent into the past is mostly enjoyable. I'm remembering a personally happy time. Having said that, the rewatch of This Life is reminding me of the cultural and social attitudes of the nineties. It's an honest-to-God time machine that shows how things have definitely got better even when they feel like they've not. The sexism! The homophobia! The racism! All depressingly familiar. Despite that, I like that it reminds me of who I was back then. Pretty similar to who I am now, to be honest. I've just added HRT patches and have less tolerance for bullshit.
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2026 me!
With a wonky halo
being present in the pub. |
Time flies. Everyone says it, don't they? I've heard that sentiment a million times over the years and I know it to be true in my head. This year, I feel it to be true in my bones. Because if those thirty years have passed quickly, so will the next thirty. If 1996 feels like ten minutes ago, then in ten minutes time it'll be 2056. I'll be seventy-eight, with dodgy knees and a bad back. That's if I'm lucky, of course. Nothing can be taken for granted. A boy from my school year died in 1996. I think of him often but particularly on his birthday, which was last week. Ageing is an absolute privilege so making it to seventy-eight with aches and pains will be amazing. And if I AM that lucky, it'll be here before you know it.
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| Will do, Bradley. |
As 2026 progresses, I'm going to lean in. Lean into the memories, the nostalgia, and the formative experiences that made me, me. It's important, however, to stay in control. Nostalgia is a heady drug but it shouldn't stop me from existing in the present. Every day counts, life is for living, and 2056 will be here in no time. Reminiscing can be fun, but living in the moment is the real sustenance. It's the people I know now, the laughter of current relationships, and the fresh air, great meals, and adventures of today that count. That's what provides fuel and nourishment.
So now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put down my laptop, and enjoy 2026 for a bit. Albeit with Oasis providing the backing track.
Have a lovely week, folks.
*That opening line from Des Lynam gave me chills. All I was looking for was a nice montage of the footy. Couldn't be more perfect.
