When I was a kid, whenever I got sick and had to stay home from school, I’d always watch home videos — of myself.
Not that I was getting the common cold or flu very frequently, but I started doing this in elementary school and continued through high school.
I think I liked the sense of nostalgia and “happier times” while I tried to regain energy or waited for my fever to break. I wasn’t trying to be dramatic, but it was nice to watch videos of a fun family vacation, or even just baby videos of playing in the yard.
Those old videos are stored in my parents’ basement. I haven’t seen any of them in probably 10-15 years.
But, I still carry that sense of resurfacing fond memories during not-so-great times.
I caught a cold last week and also have had a lot of stress caused by multiple factors, which I won’t bore you with here, so, one night I picked up my phone and started scrolling back at photos of past travels. I also re-watched multiple videos I had on my phone of otters and a baby tapir that I saw last month at the zoo.
What is it about baby animals that can momentarily make you forget about your problems?
I’m not sure, but here is the baby tapir I’m talking about:
Having these photos and videos — whether cute baby animals or a New Zealand adventure — saved on my phone makes it easily accessible for a quick “pick-me-up.”
What do you like to do when you are under the weather, or feeling down? Plan the next adventure? Or, look back on fun activities from the past?
I guess I do both.
otter travel more 