A Whole New World

As we get older, there are fewer and fewer "firsts" available to us. We all have that list in our head that we tick off as we go along - for better or worse. Some of the firsts on my list I took as just some of the things that happen in life: 

First lost tooth. 

First fender bender. 

First hangover resulting from age more than alcohol consumption. 

Yeah. They're not fun things, but they happened. Then there were the amazing things: 

First serious kiss. 

First trip to Paris. 

First Broadway show. 

First date with Christopher. 

First serious kiss, trip to Paris, and Broadway show with Christopher. 

Those things were amazing. Things I'll never forget - for all the right reasons. And, of course, there are the kind of random things that also had to have a first: 

First time in surgery. 

First missed plane. 

First really bad job interview. 

Those are the things that you deal with for that first time and hope you'll never have to deal with again. But you figure you probably will. I'm sure that, at some point, I'll have more surgery. I'll miss more planes. I'll shoot myself in the foot in more job interviews. Those are the firsts (and seconds, and thirds, and...) that make life interesting. 

Today's first... Well... I'm not really sure where it's going to fall. It certainly wasn't as good as that middle group. It wasn't necessarily as bad as the last group. Perhaps it should go into the first group, since it's something that is bound to happen again, and I suspect I'll be more prepared for it in future. 

Today, you see, I was asked to verify whether or not I was eligible for a discount. Not because I'm from South Dakota. Not because I knew the answer to a trivia question. But because the very sweet (really - incredibly sweet), very young (maybe 16 years old?) girl behind the counter wasn't sure if I was in the "55 or older" category. 

I'm pleased to say that I did not freak out. I didn't sputter or steam. I simply said "No. Not yet. But thanks for asking." 

I also did not purchase my first package of Just for Men for my beard. 

Yet.