Nothing like the first time

     I’ve been really bored during the few days, so I asked people what they think I should do. Some said I should watch movies, but since I didn’t have new ones with me, I decided to try watching old movies that I had in my external HD. When I started, I kept on skipping from one movie to the next, but I can’t seem to be finishing any. Finally, I gave up. I realized some things are only wonderful the first time and there are so many things in life that are only exciting if you’ve never done it before such as reading a new book, eating exotic food, or creating an artwork that’s new.

     Maybe it’s because of the thrill and excitement of what will come of it that gets us going until the end. It does not bother us whether we should continue or not because we are too excited to find out to even wait. We are not conscious of going too far or falling into something since we have not passed that way before. It’s often the curiosity of what is going to come up next that makes us unafraid of stepping into unknown grounds.

     Then, on the second try, different things happen when we encounter the event again. If we have enjoyed it so much the first time, we would be too thrilled to get to the end that we skip the joy of going through every step of the process. We only want to get to the fun part and we forget that the difficult parts are important, too. Some people, on the other hand, would lose all excitement of the first try that they don’t even bother going through it again. This may be because they got frightened or got hurt the first time that they have developed a phobia instead.

     Either way, I think the lesson is that some things may not ever happen again. Or even if they do, the beauty of beginning and experiencing it for the first time disappears once you finally see what’s waiting for you on the other end of the journey. Few people would have the same enthusiasm for doing something for the second time. The emotion that the event or journey brings us during the first time has a different intensity the next time you try it. If it’s excitement, it may lessen; if it’s fear, it may strengthen.

     So, I think we should always enjoy the first time: first rollercoaster ride, first dance, first kiss, first love, first trip abroad, etc. It’s not just for the joy of it, but also because the first time cannot be changed. You can no longer put anything before it once it’s there. It can no longer be changed to the second or third. It will always be the first, no more, no less. //