One Year of Firsts: An Introduction

One year of firsts…

When we are children, our lives are full of firsts: first steps, first grade, first wish, first kiss, first love. There seems to be an endless stream of “firsts”.

At some point, though, there are fewer “firsts." We forget what it’s like to discover something new.

After a while we tend to lose our childlike curiosity, leaning more toward what we know and what we’re comfortable with. We order food that we know we like. We wear clothes that are the same style we’ve worn for years. We see the same people every day. Work is “Groundhog Day”. We vacation in the same place every year. We wrap ourselves in the familiar to avoid the discomfort of change. We attach ourselves to our habits, (good and bad), and our usual ways of doing things.

And then we stop growing.

We forget that “firsts” are like fresh air, fresh life. We forget that “firsts” are deliciously awakening. We forget how a “first” feels, the way your brain hums with satisfaction after a new experience.

And so I’m starting an experiment: a daily, yearlong experiment in search of “firsts,” large and small. Every day I promise myself I will seek a “first”. I will try to say yes to something I’d normally resist and reject out of fear of going out of my comfort zone. I will share with you what happens every day as I “first” my way through 2010.

I may need some inspiration and help, so please talk to me! Share your “firsts” with me. There are only a couple rules: 1) nothing self-destructive or harmful to others 2) a first can be something you haven’t done in over a decade. Let’s face it. If you haven’t ice-skated since you were a kid, doing it as an adult is like a first.

So here’s to firsts! One year of FIRSTS. Witness my FIRST entry to my FIRST real blog. Ha. One down. 364 Firsts to go.

FOLLOW LU ANN'S JOURNEY HERE!


Lu Ann Cahn is an Emmy award-winning journalist who's been in the biz for more than 30 years. She's survived motherhood, breast cancer and chasing down bad guys.. Now, Lu Ann's trying to complete a year of "firsts." Can she do it? She'll be posting daily here on NBCPhiladelphia.com.

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