Grown-Ups Need More Firsts

From the start of age five, until adulthood, children get a special holiday each year that grown-ups don't observe: The first day of a new school year!

New Year's Day is a fresh start for everyone, and we all have birthdays to mark the first day of a new age, but the first day of school is a third day on the calendar when kids can enjoy the excitement of a new start. As grown-ups, we may remember the feeling, and live it alongside our children, but we no longer fully experience it.

As I prepare to send my baby to kindergarten on Monday, my middle daughter to third grade, and my oldest to a brand new adventure in middle school, I see their excitement. "Firsts" fuel excitement for life!

For us old, married, parents, there are no more "first dates". There will never be another "first kiss". Most of our firsts are lived vicariously through our children. But experiencing new things can still fuel excitement for life! If you feel like your life is dull and boring, a little lackluster, think about a new experience you can try, something you can do for the "first" time, to create that "first day of school" feeling. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Take a painting class
• Volunteer to read to children at an elementary or pre-school
• Take an exercise class at the YMCA
• Deliver for "Meals on Wheels"
• Take a class at your local community college

The more outside your comfort zone, the better, to build a feeling of excitement that might add a spark to life! You're never too old for a new experience or a new challenge.

Grown-ups need more "firsts". What will your next one be?