Like the Very First Time

[Rex_Tremende]

Phoenix Phil has just received his first UK, but now he's having some first time jitters.

It got me to thinkin'...

What other [forum appropriate] situations - besides the first time you wore a kilt in public - have people experienced similar feelings of intense anxiety or fear, coupled with urge, desire, or obsession? How did it turn out? What did you learn?

Some ideas:

• Major life decision
• Purchase of something slightly beyond your reach
• Skydiving
• Cosmetic surgery
• Your first affair - no, no, scratch that - not here - but maybe admitting you loved someone, or proposing
• New job/Telling your boss to sod off/becoming self-employed
• Your first tattoo
• Amateur Night at the stand-up comedy club
• Enlisting
• Running for office
• Planning/Expecting your first child

I figure if we can identify feelings that are common across different kinds of situations, maybe it won't be so hard for first-time kilties like Phil.

Regards,
Dr. Rex in Cincinnati

[Kilted KT]

Phoenix Phil has just received his first UK, but now he's having some first time jitters.

It got me to thinkin'...

What other [forum appropriate] situations - besides the first time you wore a kilt in public - have people experienced similar feelings of intense anxiety or fear, coupled with urge, desire, or obsession? How did it turn out? What did you learn?

Some ideas:

• Major life decision
• Purchase of something slightly beyond your reach
• Skydiving
• Cosmetic surgery
• Your first affair - no, no, scratch that - not here - but maybe admitting you loved someone, or proposing
• New job/Telling your boss to sod off/becoming self-employed
• Your first tattoo
• Amateur Night at the stand-up comedy club
• Enlisting
• Running for office
• Planning/Expecting your first child

I figure if we can identify feelings that are common across different kinds of situations, maybe it won't be so hard for first-time kilties like Phil.

Regards,
Dr. Rex in Cincinnati

I'd have to say it was prolly the first time I realized that a lot of guys didn't care that my wife was married, as I had to physically remove one gent for trying to get a little too personal with my wife! I wasn't kilted and he was a bit bigger than me. He wasn't, luckily, bigger than the three fraternity brothers I had with me. I'd say that was pretty intense.

[Tattoo Bradley]

Phoenix Phil has just received his first UK, but now he's having some first time jitters.

It got me to thinkin'...

What other [forum appropriate] situations - besides the first time you wore a kilt in public - have people experienced similar feelings of intense anxiety or fear, coupled with urge, desire, or obsession? How did it turn out? What did you learn?

Some ideas:

• Major life decision
• Purchase of something slightly beyond your reach
• Skydiving
• Cosmetic surgery
• Your first affair - no, no, scratch that - not here - but maybe admitting you loved someone, or proposing
• New job/Telling your boss to sod off/becoming self-employed
• Your first tattoo
• Amateur Night at the stand-up comedy club
• Enlisting
• Running for office
• Planning/Expecting your first child

I figure if we can identify feelings that are common across different kinds of situations, maybe it won't be so hard for first-time kilties like Phil.

Regards,
Dr. Rex in Cincinnati

Wow, some of your examples hit pretty close to home for me.

Enlisting - Joined the Air Force at 17 went to boot camp right after graduating High School. I show up in San Anton not knowing WHAT to do except keep my mouth shut and listen CLOSELY! That experience most definately caused a lot of anxiety.

First Tattoo - Well, the actual first tattoo wasn't that big of a deal. However the first tattoo below the elbow created an almost "high" because of the liberation and the "devil may care" attitude of it. That same feeling came again, two fold, a few years later when I got the tattoo machine tattooed on the side of my neck. It goes darn near from collar bone to ear! SCARY! *NOTE* Many people often wonder if I regret any of the blatent tattoos (neck, hands.) Absolutely not. Plain and simple, absolutely not.

Would you believe even with all the tattoos and my stretched earlobes, I was pretty shaken the first time out in a kilt? I posted about it somewhere in General Kilt Talk.

And the "self employed" question -
When I was fresh out of the service, I found myself hurting for a job. I had received some tattoo training while in the service. So, when I arrived home I began working full time as a tattooist. That only lasted about two years. Not because I chose to leave it. But, simply because the shop owner was an AWFUL business man and drove the shop into the ground. I still tattoo part time. But that step to rely on it for food and shelter. Wow.

[Southern Breeze]

For me it was making my first skydiving jump. Nothing is scarier than those minutes you spend in the plane before jumping! Everything else pales in comparison.

[David Dalglish]

I think my biggest decission was to move to Saudi Arabi to work, with my wife, I sweated a bit on that one. As it happened it turned out ok we love it

[davedove]

Getting up on stage to sing. I've always been a reserved person and I had never done it. Then at AMVETS I was pulled onto the stage at karaoke night and I caught the bug. I could always carry a tune and my brother is a musician, so I know I had the ability, but never the drive. I'll probably never pursue a career in singing, but I do love to get up in a casual setting and knock out a tune or two. I'm actually looking forward to singing a couple of songs with my brother's band next month.

Other than that, anytime I started a new job. That's always an anxiety producing experience.

[MacSimoin]

Rex,

Probably one you've unintentionally neglected involves death/dying: NDE's or Near Death Experiences.

I can relate my own but it's far too personal to post here (and inappropriate according to house rules); but I will say that of all I've been through in my life, nothing comes close to the sobering eye-opener of an NDE. Everything else pales.

[Sciuropterus]

Helping the midwife deliver our first child last year- it was NOT at a hospital, it was at our house. Just like frontier times- No drugs, no doctors!