Holding on to Firsts...

Firsts are exciting.

First steps. First day without a diaper. First day of school. First sleepover. First basketball game. First crush. First pimple. (okay maybe that wasn't so exciting) First date. First hand-hold. First day of college.... you get the picture.

We are continually facing new firsts. Though they can be intimidating, they are simultaneously exhilarating. I remember being so eager to go to my first day of school! I would've liked to go a year sooner than was allowed if I could've! I thought I was so ready to face that first day. And now, here I sit in a college library.. still in school. Don't get me wrong, these past 13 years of school have been great. But I don't think I realized as an eager 4-year old what a first day of school meant... a thousand more days of school.

Firsts are great things, when the time is right. One of the greatest things about firsts, is that we can never get them back. On the other hand, this could be a tragic thing as well. Some firsts are unavoidable. The first day of school had to come. It was just a matter of time until that first pimple appeared.

But some firsts happen within our control. Granted, they will most likely happen eventually, but they are often all the sweeter and more valuable if we take our time and don't be too eager for that "first" to happen.

Recently, as i was talking to a friend, we were talking about some recent firsts in our lives. I expressed my longing to have the day of a certain first come. My friend quite wisely put me in my place. She said, "Don't rush it. Wait. You can never have that first again."

That made me stop instantly and consider the value of some firsts. They will truly only be firsts once. I decided that I'm going to let the firsts happen as they must, and I'm going to be picky about letting the firsts happen which I can control. I want to have my first at its full value, and never have to regret it, or question myself about it.

I'm holding on to my firsts.