For The First Time...

Recently I experienced an enchanting occurrence - for the first time, ever. It was a moment that will forever stay etched in my perception, creating an unforgettable recollection to last a lifetime. And beyond.
I felt my body, heart and soul being consumed by this experience, which lingered within me, long after it was gone, to become an eternal, precious memory…

It made me realize how very few “first” we get the privilege to come across as we age and mature and it made me recall fondly all the pristine experiences we encounter as children, as we set upon the journey of life.

There are many memories in my recollection that make up for the very first steps into the unknown. The most vivid ones I can remember fully and completely. Their imprint has left behind a sensation of sounds, scents and sights.

Such as my very first day in school, walking with my parents up to the grand building, which still appears vivid in my memory. I recall the feeling of excitement as well as anxiety, feeling the onset of change, as if nothing was going to be the same ever again.

My first bike ride, the very first one when the safety was removed and I really controlled the bicycle on my own, without the supporting hands of my father or my own feet on the ground. That incredible feeling of achievement and victory.
A very similar sensation to the one I experienced when I learned to swim, in the pristine waters of the turquoise blue Mediterranean on a vacation with my family, when I was about ten. As my small body floated on the surface of the warm water, finally after I have conquered the fear of letting go of the sea bed, trusting my own capabilities and not giving into failures or giving up.

And later in life, the first time I sat behind the wheel of a car. My first flight. The first time I traveled on my own.  My first pay check. The first time I moved out on my own. My first published scientific paper. My first scientific discovery. The feeling of excitement when I signed the deed to my first house…
My first kiss of course, but that came when I was six years old actually, I admit. But the one that really meant something came much later in life and I still remember every single detail about it.

There are indeed many first in my recollection, either of personal, professional or intimate nature. My recent experience though made me realize that a first can occur at any time, at any age. And often when we least expect it. The promise of new wonderful encounters is made by each sunrise.
As after all, each new day we get a privilege to experience is the first one in the rest of our life.