I'm going to drop a deuce on this one with a definite downer, my First Big Disappointment.
When I was a kid, I didn't sleep much. One year, on the eve of Easter, I figured since I was awake anyway, I'd listen for the Easter Bunny, to see if she (the easter bunny lays eggs, she's a girl 😂) needed any help setting up baskets and hiding eggs in my neighborhood.
If you don't know how that turned out, I won't spoil the surprise for you.
I think of this story a lot when I think of firsts, because that night is what really set me on the path that led to where I am today. I learned that the people I trusted the most had been lying to me my whole life, and that the only person I could really depend on was myself. Life has reinforced both of those observations over the years.
Of course, child me was hurt and angry. I was 5 or 6 years old, but I had a very adult understanding about a lot of things. I knew that going out and confronting those liars about their lies was just going to make things worse. I also knew that as far as lies go, this really wasn't worth fighting over. I knew that the only thing that had really changed was my awareness. I also knew that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy weren't going to keep handing out freebies my whole life, so I better start learning how to get the things I wanted for myself.
What did I do? I spent the rest of the night playing with brain-teaser puzzles, reading Treasure Island, and waiting for the sun (and my little brothers with it) to come up. I enjoyed my chocolate, flew my kite, and kept my new knowledge to myself. I learned that I could keep secrets, too, and there was no sense in derailing the gravy train.
People say we learn the most from our failures. I'd like to nominate disappointment for the #1 teacher position.