When was the last time you did something for the first time?

About a month ago, I was driving home when I flipped to the country radio station. I was feeling homesick for Kansas and thought listening to country music could help. My formative middle school and high school years were spent listening to Garth Brooks, and Dixie Chicks got me down the many miles back and forth to K-State for years.

But when Darius Rucker’s song, “For the First Time,” came on, I realized I had a lot more to think about. The lyrics really hit me.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Yeah, let yourself go, follow that feeling
Maybe something new is what you are needing.

I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately. Breaking my ankle at the end of January has been a long, slow recovery. I’m back to doing most things, although slowly, and I’ve still got a limp at times, especially after sitting for long periods. Plus, my right knee has been acting up since I started walking on the ankle again and I just feel like an old lady in this body of mine.

But this song got me thinking, instead of dwelling on all of this depressing stuff, what if I focused on what I’ve done for the first time? What about all of those adventures I’ve had recently? And dream about what I’m hoping yet to do.

So here’s a list of my “first times” for the last few months.

Hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. Granted, it was only for a few feet, and I almost got lost trying to find it, but hey, it all counts. Ever since I read about the PCT in Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild,” I’ve longed to walk on that trail. I was so excited when I realized I now live only a few hours from the northern section of the trail. Soon enough, I’m planning a day hike there, although snow has come early to the PNW this week so that may have to wait until next year!

Drove the stunning Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. We tried this last year when in the area, but in June 2018, the road was only open about 10 miles into the park. I had no idea what we had missed until we drove all the way up to Logan Pass this year. We wound through a tunnel, past the Weeping Wall, which splashed in my window on the way back down, glimpsed glaciers high above, and even saw mountain goats with their babies. I felt like I was in Switzerland, or, as my daughter put it, in The Sound of Music. This is a drive everyone should take at least once in their life, and sooner rather than later as the glaciers are shrinking more every year.

Star gazed from the top of a mountain. We were trying to see the Aurora Borealis, “The Northern Lights,” which was possible over Labor Day weekend in our area. Unfortunately, no Northern Lights for us, but the stars were so bright and the Milky Way was trailing above us, still a stunning sight to see.

Slept in a hammock under the stars. We talked about making it the entire night, but bear poop was found in the vicinity of our house recently and I just couldn’t handle the nightly noises. As romantic as sleeping under the stars sounds, I’m a girl that likes walls and doors between me and things that go bump in the night. Just facing reality here folks. There’s what I dream of, and what I’ll actually do.

Ride a ferry in the Puget Sound. I’ve wanted to do this since we moved to the PNW two years ago, but the timing was never quite right. Finally, this summer, I had the chance. We were in Seattle and I scanned the ferry schedule, discovering I had time to make it across the Puget Sound and back. By the time I made it to the Bainbridge Island Ferry, sunset was approaching, which was actually the perfect time to be on the ferry. Watching the sun set on the Puget Sound was an added bonus, and ferrying back towards the lights of Seattle was the perfect ending.

Visited a cat cafe. This was something I had read about on a blog of an author who had visited Japan. I wondered if there was one in Seattle so Googled, and sure enough, found the Seattle Meowtropolitan. It served cat-themed drinks and pastries outside. A reservation allowed me to play with the cats for an hour. Many of the cats were from a local shelter so we were briefed beforehand on which cats were friendly and which were best left to themselves. It was a one-of-a-kind experience. Will I repeat it? Who knows, but I’m glad I tried it.

Rode the Lady of the Lake ferry across Lake Chelan to Stehekin. This was a much different kind of ferry ride than the quick 30-minute Bainbridge Island ferry. We had to get on the ferry early in the morning and spent four hours chugging up the lake. With a short 1 ½ hour layover in Stehekin, we had just enough time for a quick ride up to Rainbow Falls before heading back down the lake. It was fun playing cards and sitting on the deck watching the mountains slide by.

Took a Wine 101 class. With dozens of wineries close to Wenatchee, it was fun to take a Wine 101 class at the Wenatchee Wine and Food Festival. I learned there are more than 1,000 wineries in Washington, and chardonnay is the most grown grape in the state. But most of all, I learned that the most important thing about wine tasting is find what you like. Don’t worry about what everyone else says. Trust your gut. And if wine tastes like a plastic Band Aid, it means the wine is “corked.” It’s been exposed to TCA, a naturally occurring compound that can be found in the corks. And it’s not something you want to taste or smell.

Spy a rare Mountain Lady Slipper. I saw this near Lake Wenatchee, during a tour of a Firewise neighborhood for a learning exchange. I’m on the board of our local Firewise association and we were learning more about what other associations do to make their neighborhoods safer from wildfires. Our host pointed out this rare Mountain Lady Slipper, a lily found in forested areas out here. Beautiful!

Smell the bark of a Ponderosa Pine. (Hint: It smells like freshly baked cookies, vanilla or butterscotch. All quite yummy smells!) I also learned this during the learning exchange I mentioned earlier. We have many Ponderosa Pines around our house, and yep, I took a sniff and they smell like baked cookies. So if you see me smelling one, it’s ok. I was told to by a scientist so I’m not crazy.

See and eat a morel mushroom. Local mushroom experts pointed out morel mushrooms when we were hiking near our house. I did not pick it at that time, but then saw morel mushrooms for sale in the local grocery store for $40 per pound. I’m not sure I would ever trust myself to forage for the right kind of mushroom, but I did have a dish later that week at the local bistro, which included morel mushrooms. They were delicious!

I plan to keep adding to this list. I think it’s a great goal, to always find new adventures and try new things. Shout out to my parents who did just that, recently visiting Maine with my aunt, uncle and a neighbor for the first time. I’m so proud of them!

Now it’s your turn. When was the last time you did something for the first time? I’d love to hear from you. Share in the comments below or on our social media feeds.