Do you remember your first date? I do.
It was eighth-grade graduation and everybody was pairing up for the big night, mostly for group activities. For my group, that included a trip to the amusement park and a couple of games bowling.
I was something of a bowling hot shot in those days and I knew my date would be impressed by my prowess on the lanes. Unexpectedly, I turned out to be a big shot at the amusement park, too, walking away with a cheap glass pitcher after toppling a few lead milk bottles with a couple of well-delivered fastballs.
At the end of the evening, I couldn’t wait to show off my prize. After telling my tale to my mother, she shook her head in that motherly way. “And you didn’t give your prize to your date?” she asked. Obviously, I had plenty to learn.
Life, of course, is a never-ending series of lessons. And, as the saying goes, there’s a first time for everything. That’s the subject of today’s personal history lesson: your personal firsts.
Make a list of your “firsts,” write about them in detail and add them to your timeline. Here are some areas to consider:
• Your first day of school
• Your first best friend
• Your first public performance – dance, singing, speaking, etc.
• Your first organized sport
• Your first date
• Your first kiss
• Your first bicycle
• Your first pet
• Your first motor vehicle
• Your first vacation
• Your first job
• Your first boyfriend or girlfriend
• Your first apartment or home after leaving the family home
• Your first child
Tomorrow: Take a bow, kid
This is Lesson No. 16 of a mini-course on how to write a personal history. The course will continue throughout May, which is Personal History Month. To get future lessons delivered to you, you may subscribe to our RSS feed or get e-mail delivery to your inbox. It’s easy. Details can be found in the column to the left of this post.
Flickr photo courtesy of David G Kelly.
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