Pay attention

by Jenna Crowe

Mountain Home News

The chemical scent of brand new Expo markers as formulas get penned on the white board. The first blank page in a notebook, waiting to be filled with priceless information. Bonds forming between classes as what some consider torture resumes.

The first day of school is bursting at the seams with beginnings, subtle yet attention-grabbing at the same time.

Days like these tug at our heart strings a bit, begging us to reflect on what once was.

As parents sit in their cars, watching kids rush off to the start of the next phase of their life, they find themselves remembering when their kids were younger. Memories of their kid’s first steps and toddler antics which plagued their houses run through the parent’s mind, leaving a sinking feeling that what’s in the past will stay there forever.

This sinking feeling is the problem.

People, including me, get it into their heads that these “firsts” run out. Your first day of high school only happens once, your child’s first words only happen once; there are so many events that people believe only happen once that they miss when history repeats itself.

For example, the first day of high school. This is one of the monumental “firsts” in life, because the stigma is that everything can change in a person’s life after this day.

That’s a lot of pressure for a 15-year-old.

So many people are focused on the first day of school freshman year that they forget a person’s sophomore, junior and senior year of high school have a first day too. They also have the first big test of the year, the first time you have to eat by yourself and the first all night study session.

“Firsts” don’t happen just once.

Another problem this feeling brings? People become so focused and entranced with situations seen as monumental “firsts” that they forget the little ones, which can be the most meaningful.

For example, the first time you fell in love; a monumental “first” in anyone’s life. This relationship leaves quite an impression, but it can also cloud your sight.

People can get so focused on this feeling, their first love, that the “firsts” they have in future relationships can go unnoticed.

Say your first love was when you were 16; it happened during formative years, leaving even more of an impression on you, possibly affecting how you view future relationships. But what about that first drink at a bar with someone you like? The first time they see the side of you that you were trying to hide. The first time they remember your favorite food or the names of your siblings.

These “firsts” are just as important, sometimes even more.

Right now is a time of new beginnings, that’s true. It’s not the time to let other beginnings go unnoticed.

Pay attention, otherwise the important ones may slip past you.