First Time for Everything:

Doing new things in life are never easy but they are eventually a necessity. These small steps in life enable us to grow into the person that we will become. We have all had “first times” in our lives and we all know that they have taught us a lot about ourselves and others. For me, this past week has been a lot of “first times.” This is my first blog, my first time to travel to Newfoundland, and my first time to eat seal. Yes, I have had a lot of interesting “firsts” this past week. Trying something new is hard in the beginning but somehow it can magically turn around to be a lifelong memory. This is what happened to me while I was in Newfoundland. Visiting a remote fishing village named Leading Tickles, with a population of about four-hundred people, I realized the meaning of loving life’s little “first times.” In the middle of nowhere, this small town embodied all that you could ever imagine from a fishing village. This sleepy community had no gas stations, restaurants, or hotels. It even had a sign, located in its park, saying “cell phone use here.” However, it had everything you could ask for in the hospitality of its people. Making you feel like you were family, they always showed nothing less than kindness and generosity. There generosity going as far as giving us a bottle of seal to eat. Tasting this reddish-brown colored meat with chunks of bones mixed in was less then appetizing. However, this beloved “Newfoundland snack” was given to us by one of these friendly people who had welcomed us into their hearts and homes. Therefore, it made the thought of the seal much better then how it tasted. For me, this past week has truly been unforgettable. It has been one for my history book and I want you to have that same feeling. In this coming week, be willing to try something different. Now you do not have to eat seal or travel to a remote fishing village, but you do have to try something new and out of the ordinary from your everyday routine. You will never know where your little step might take you. Always remember that there is a “first time for everything.”

Michelle Echterling