The time in between

I wonder why we are always so interested in the "first" and "last". A baby's first words, the last photo of a late relative....

I fall into this trap myself. I recently took a photo of Bailey who will be 11 months old on Thursday. The photo was snapped as he discovered his first pile of autumn leaves. This is his first autumn, and soon there will be few "firsts" left for him to discover. I was also looking at old photos of Indy, and I found myself fixated on the last photo of him ever taken.

Of course, being me, I related this to my dogs, but it is really the prevailing way in all aspects of life. Soon my SIL will have her baby, and she will be consumed with all the firsts that come with it. Soon my BIL will be married, which I suppose should be seen as something new, and filled with firsts, but I see the lasts. Things will never be the same. The person I knew will be gone. He is mostly gone now. Yet, I will remember the "last" of Jim, and the firsts of the new baby. It is just how we are.

What is it about our nature? Why do we savor the last bite of the last cookie, but chomp down the rest of the bag without a second thought. Shouldn't we savor each bite?

This past year was filled with Indy's lasts and Bailey's firsts. I have cherished and recorded all of Bailey's firsts. I just hope that as life goes on, that I take the time to savor all the times between the first and the last.