History is vital to my sense of self. The past holds so many things; lessons, memories, defining moments, emotions that range from mournful to elation, and perspective. Without history, there would be no place to make decisions from, particularly those I've encountered before and learned something from.
I'm always intrigued by history. Knowing how things were before, how something or someone got their start, being able to learn from the missteps of those before us — how could anyone ever not be fascinated by the past? It is one of the reasons I could sit and talk with older people for hours. The stories they tell have the kind of history you can't find in books.
Looking at photos, watching the far off look in their eyes as they remember the details of a particular moment and hearing the emotions the stories bring back in their voices, those are the things that make history come alive. Even if I'm not having a direct conversation with someone who lived the history, it is still just as fascinating. There's even a bonus element when the history is being told by someone who studied it, but didn't live it. They exude a passion that only comes from someone who is enamored by the tales, lineage and bits of past that make up the story.
Tonight, we go on a ghost tour, and while I am not someone who believes in ghosts, I do enjoy history. The farther the stories reach back in time, the more rapt I become. Looking forward to learning a little while being entertained even more.
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