First Time For Everything (English)

Happy new year! I’m Mamington, a working mom of three.

Spending another year of uncertainty under the pandemic was stressful, and it made me realize the importance of health and everything else that I used to take for granted.

Putting the pandemic aside, each new year calls for new year resolutions, so today I want to talk about trying things for the “first time”. For me, my days are filled with new experiences around raising children. When my child first walked (although I missed that moment for all 3 of my kids as they took their first steps at childcare sigh…), when my child first rode his or her bike, when my child first ate kimchi, or when my child first failed a test. Memories are priceless. The way their eyes shine when trying something new is remarkable. I can feel infinite possibilities in their eyes.

Then I started wondering… how do those shiny eyes reflect their mom as a person? Do I show infinite possibilities in my speech and attitude? Do they see me living an exciting life? The older I get, the less opportunities I have to try something different. And I have to be honest, I don’t have sufficient energy to think about my own opportunities because I spend most of my time thinking about my children’s growth opportunities. But then I thought further. I want to set a positive example for my children. I don’t need to be “shining like a star”, but I do want them to see me as an opportunistic person who is lively and happy.

So I gave myself a new challenge this winter. I took a ski lesson for the first time in my life. Experiencing something for the first time in the late 40’s is rare. What did I feel in my first ski experience?

My shins hurt when I first wore those ski boots. I felt so clumsy trying to walk in them. I was nervous waiting for my ski lesson, and I was also embarrassed when I fell on my butt in front of the world. I felt tired. I couldn’t wait to strip out of all those layers of clothing. I felt proud. I felt excited. I felt a sense of accomplishment. I felt happy. How refreshing it is to experience all these feelings.

Thanks to a kind instructor, I learned to travel the beginners’ slopes from top to bottom without too many falls. The children were laughing at how slow I was coming down, but I was pleased that they were able to see the brave side of me facing a new challenge and following through with it.

Being able to touch and feel something new is fantastic. This experience stimulated a part of my brain and heart in a way that I used to feel in my younger days.

Every momentand every experience becomes a part of me. What makes life exciting and rich may be these experiences, and not the amount of money we have or the amount of material possessions we own.

May this trend continue. Let the working mom of three experience many more “firsts” in 2022!