Tatoo, Anyone?

Firsts. As mid-lifers, what kind of firsts do we have to look forward to? First bone density test? First colonoscopy? First hot flash? I think I had my first hot flash, though it’s hard to tell living in Florida.

When we were younger our lives were full of firsts. First love. First car. First house. First child. Our future was spread out before us, with miles unending possibilities and so many doors yet to be opened. We boldly took those first steps into new territories often without thinking about the consequences. Because if we did, we probably would never move inch beyond our comfort zone. We didn’t know about comfort zones back then. Comfort zones are something what we unconsciously invented after a disappointment to insulate us from getting hurt further. Comfort zones may feel like a soft place to fall, but they’re really just a barricade keeping us from living our lives to the fullest.

Maybe we should re-connect with the time when we didn’t care if the world watched as we danced –when we thought we were invincible because nobody told us we weren’t. Let’s brush off that list of all the things we wanted to do in our lives that we’ve put off because the time wasn’t right, or we didn’t want to take the chance, or we were afraid of what people would think. Let’s give ourselves the gift of new firsts.

For me, I’m thinking maybe my first tattoo.