There’s nothing new in the world, people often parrot.
It’s been done before, maybe decades ago?
Anyhow it’s not new. That joke you heard, made up by your pal, she claims, was heard by another pal last week in the school…..and so on!
Doing ‘it first’, whatever ‘it’ is is a claim for high territory, sometimes just a wee inner pat on the ego that says well, it was me, mine and no one else.
You won’t be aware of it of course, amazingly you are doing firsts every day, my fabulous grandchildren, thats the age you are at…..first wee wee, wherever that was, ask mum and dad, there will be a memory there somewhere. First teddy bear, first comfort blanket, slippers, shoes, mitts, pom pom hat, all of these life things happening in the first days of your existence. Many happening without you knowing what’s going on but they are setting you up for the next time – cuddles and kisses form mum and dad, grannie and even big sister and brother Breagha – Anna you will have to wait a wee while until you become the ‘big’ one in that set up!!
Sandy, you have been a star with your two sisters. Great job, brilliant ‘firsts’, thanks for that bonnie lad.
I guess in the early years almost everything is a ‘first’ yet it’s the getting familiar with subsequent times that makes the first time wonderful – but you can look back on that later on, for years and years.
It goes on – first wee tri-cycle, pram, rocking chair – listen to me – go tech man, first game-boy, tablet ( I bought them !), first swim in a pool, visit to the seaside, first fall and scraped knees, day at playgroup, birthday party – yours, a friends – day at primary school, high school, first time at the girl guides, cubs, football team, first football game, first pair of football boots, first and only puff of a cigarette…
And oh yes, first time in big troubles with ma and pa! As if my grand weans would ever……..
Good mark from school, good fun at the concert, First school trip, brilliant, first dance with you know who? Well you will see…! First kiss, driving lesson, first pass of an exam, first fail, ouch…!
So we could talk about this for ever. Amongst all of this you will do your own firsts, yep, before others doit- win at a race – climb a mountain somewhere in our beautiful world, hold someones hand at the top of it and have that first feeling of ‘oh my GOD’ I love this person.
First can also be about winning. Look out for this one, it can eat you up, winning means others are losing – work that out before you make a habit of it.
Sport is about winning – usually, even just the once, but you can come to terms with that eventually.
Commercial companies use ‘FIRST’ to shout out that they are THE BEST at what they do! First in the field etc!
Give it some thought – how do you handle being first? Quietly, satisfied after all the work you put in? What do you do with this later – look up the words humility and humble and sprinkle them in amongst the YAHOO I did it bit!!
Be careful you don’t use it to bully others -‘look at me, I came first, you didn’t’. Watch this!
Anyway, I hope you get the idea
First times will happen to you without you trying too hard. Lots have happened to me, and looking back they usually happened I put myself in places whilst I was ‘exploring’ life even in simple contexts.
Here are two.
You know what a hoodie is – a sweat top with a hood – everybody has worn them.
They are both smart and a wee bit spooky at times, depends on context.
When I was 14/15 in 1970 I played for a boys football club in Edinburgh in the local league. We trained once a week which usually took place in Ainslie Park or Craigroyston school gym hall on a Thursday evening., running round in circles and playing 4/5 a side. Looking back on it not the best use of an evening but it was good fun.
There were some very good players in the team, we were the best in Edinburgh at the time. A few of them were big headed about it – they were signed for professional teams – not me – I was ok, better than average as a goalkeeper but not as good, comparably to a lot of team mates, so nothing to boast about.
One day I was out and about looking for a training top in shops in the city centre – Greaves, Lilywhites and one that had opened recently, Simpsons in Rose Street.
Now this was a bit special -it was owned by Ronnie Simpson, he had recently retired as the goalkeeper of Celtic and Scotland, won all national trophies and the ‘Keeper in the Celtic team who won the European Cup- first British Team to do this – in 1967. Ronnie Simpson was a national hero. He was in goal when Scotland ‘hammered’ England 3-2 following the letters world cup win.
I got speaking to Mr Simpson, had a wee link because I played in goal. I said I was looking for a top for training, didn’t fall for one or two he showed me. He said hang on. I’ve got something new here, it might interest you.
He brought out the top that had a hood on it – he received 6 of them as a trial sales line from a Scandinavian firm, selling samples in a few shops across the UK.. Ronnie Simpson was famous world wide so got onto the short list.
It was a bit odd, a hood, not my usual round neck shirt. He sold it on the basis of its uniqueness, unusual style and so on. One line was that I would be the first in the UK to wear this top – first of a few dozen anyhow – no other shop in Edinburgh had them, Mr Simpson assured me. So I went for it, bought it, a pound more than the others and wore it to training on Thursday. Well, I put it on, guys started poking fun at the hood, for say 20 minutes. Then by the end of the night about 6 team mates asked me where I had bought it.
The following week, half the guys had one -a hooded training top.
So, as the great national hero, Ronnie Simpson told me , I was first – well, one of the first in Scotland, even the UK to have a hooded top
Now who has them?
Mr Simpson said so, therefore it must be true. I don’t care what anyone else thinks, I wore the top and I did a deal with Ronnie Simpson, national hero.
Me, a first!
Secondly, I was the first person in my secondary school to wear desert boots, ankle length soft leather boots – I bought them as they accommodated my wider fitting needs.
They were only in light beige. Now everywhere in all colours. Slowly school colleagues started to get them too.
On this one I was definitely the first, though someone somewhere will think they are the first too!!
Another story, another time.