Nostalgia is that melancholic wave that rushes over you when thinking of a happy time long passed.

An era with a group of friends, a musical style, or a long-passed adventure. 

It’s a pleasant missing of the good old days. The feeling itself is both happy and sad. Happy that you were fortunate to have lived it, and sad that it’s passed.

But is there a word for the opposite?

That feeling where you remember a moment in your life that was painful or unpleasant and are grateful that it’s now behind you.

But gratitude itself can play both sides. You can be grateful for the good times but also the passing of the bad.

This is one of those questions I’m throwing out into the universe. I don’t have an answer, but I was hoping that writing about it would bring some clarity.

Perhaps I’ll revisit down the road when I find an answer.