Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning's End*

I've been reading other people's blogs and Facebook posts these past few days. There are some common themes and, of course, the most prevalent one is the “new year, new you” type of post, what with it being the beginning of the year and all.

We love our beginnings, don't we? The first kiss, babies, first steps, the first snow. Any first is considered to be important, really. A new year, a baby's first Christmas, your first apartment or house, all of them have a special significance for us, don't they?

I think about my daughter's first Christmas. She was not quite 4 months old. Almost everyone in the world bought her a gift, including our neighbor who really didn't like us. She pretty much laid around and slept. She liked the bows and ribbons, and I have a photo of her laying among the discarded wrapping paper and bows. Subsequent Christmases were much more fun as she got older. Was her third Christmas any less important than her first? Not to her, because she doesn't remember her first Christmas. To her, they are all important.

She was our first child, too. The beginning of a family. When my son was born, it wasn't the same as when my daughter was born to the outside world. His first Christmas wasn't overloaded with gifts from virtual strangers. Was my second child less important or less special? Definitely not to us!

Someone gives you a baby shower for your first child. Your first child has all new things. Your second child? Oh, you already have everything. Except almost everything we had was pink or girly. It took so long for us to have our daughter that we never thought we'd be blessed with any more kids. My son had all new clothes, too, because he was a boy, but we never had a shower for him.

Think about your second apartment, your second car, or your second child (if you have more than one child). For me, my second apartment was roomier, my second car was the car I wanted, not the car I bought from my father, and, of course, my second child was just as special to me as my first.

I wonder why we're so enamored of firsts? Maybe it's because we like beginnings, but not endings. We don't like things to be over. We like anticipation and possibility, not finality.

And speaking of beginnings, I started Tecfidera today. I was going to start it yesterday, but because I forgot about eating until mid-afternoon, I didn't. So this year I need to make (and stick to) a resolution. I resolve to eat breakfast every day. A real breakfast, not coffee and a cookie, or some toast. Today I made eggs and toast, and it's been a couple of hours since I took the Tecfidera, and I'm not experiencing the side effects that a lot of people get. At least not with my first dose. :)

*I've never liked this song, but I've always liked this line