When Firsts Find You
First Light
Throughout the year, firsts find their way into our lives—quietly, often unnoticed unless we’re deliberately paying attention.
We tend to think of firsts as belonging to big occasions: holidays, new seasons, landmark moments. But the truth is, firsts happen daily—tucked inside the ordinary, waiting to be seen.
The first foot on the floor each morning - have you ever noticed which one it is?
The first sip of coffee.
The first hint of daylight.
The first glance out the window.
The first voice you hear.
The first car that passes by on the road.
If you slowed down to notice them all, you’d realize that life is made up of far more firsts than we give it credit for.
If you kept a journal of all the firsts you encountered in just one day, you’d be amazed at the wonder hiding inside your ordinary.
“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
Mary Oliver
Returning to Work: A New Season Begins
I’m stepping back into the working world for the first time in two years.
Orientation has already begun, and in just a few days, I’ve filled nearly a page and a half with “firsts” for this new season.
I am returning to a place I love—working at a beautiful museum and gardens in Sandwich, MA.
With each day comes another new beginning:
The first drive across the bridge
The first familiar path walked again
The first new acquaintance met
The first new piece of knowledge tucked into memory
I’m deliberately trying to stay awake to each one, knowing that firsts are easy to miss when we rush past them.
The Hidden Beauty of Firsts
My First Northern Lights Photo - From the Deck
If the everyday firsts of life are abundant, imagine the layers of firsts waiting for me in a season like this:
The first guest climbing into my transport
The first family laughing together on the garden paths
The first child squealing in delight
The first scent of fresh blooms drifting through the air
The first heartfelt thank-you at the end of a visit
My mission this season is to frame as many of these moments as possible—not by holding them tightly, but by noticing them fully.
Firsts are invitations, not performances.
If you move too fast, life’s invitations can pile up unopened. This season, I’m choosing to answer them.
The Rhythm of Seasonal Life
There’s something special about living a seasonal rhythm—one that mirrors the natural world.
My museum work begins with the excitement of spring, coaxes me into the full bloom of summer, carries me through the vibrant decline of autumn, and then briefly pauses before inviting me back for the festive sparkle of the holidays.
Afterward, there’s the welcome hush of winter—a time to rest, restore, and begin again.
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each.”
Henry David Thoreau
Seasonal work reminds me that life is meant to have openings and closings, awakenings and retreats. It’s not meant to be one long sprint.
First new born puppy picture
Noticing Matters
Maybe it’s age.
Maybe it’s writing.
Maybe it’s the way my camera lens has changed my sight.
But I’ve noticed that life offers more opportunities to slow down and see as I get older.
The most minor details—the ones I used to rush past—feel weightier now.
They’re no longer background noise.
They’re the story.
I’m challenging myself not to waddle through my days but to wake up to them—to notice even the familiar things I’ve walked past for years.
Firsts aren’t trophies. They don’t want to be captured; they want to be met.
Carrying the Season Forward
If you could begin this one day again, with fresh eyes, how many moments would you notice that you missed the first time?
First sibling photo op!
Each day hands us a pile of doorways. Most of them are unmarked.
You recognize them only when you walk through.
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
New thresholds are waiting for us all. All they ask is that we look and step forward.
Talk soon…
G