Hello,
My name is Lou Redman.
Thank you so much for listening.
Rarely in our lives are we conscious of the transition between lasts and firsts.
We may not remember the last day of childhood summer,
The first time we stepped into the ocean,
The last time life was normal before an injury.
We often can't recognize lasts when they're happening.
Others we mark with a ceremony.
The last day of school culminates in graduation.
The last day a couple is single is celebrated through matrimony.
The last breath of a loved one is honored by a funeral.
When done right,
A ceremony initiates us into a new identity,
A first.
The last day one is a boy becomes the first he is a man.
For me,
2025 was a year of lasts.
With my wife expecting our first child,
I was more aware of what would never be the same.
I did my best to honor the last vacation out of the country,
The last road trip free and expansive,
The last birthday before becoming a father.
As time got closer,
The lasts increased.
Last date night without a child,
Last gym session without a care how long it takes,
Last Christmas just the two of us,
Last moments not having to put someone else's life above our own.
And then at the beginning of this year came the ceremony and initiation that is labor.
My wife gave birth at home to a healthy,
Beautiful baby boy.
And just like that,
My lasts turned into firsts.
First time seeing our son,
First baby sneeze,
First walk down the block as a family,
First day back to work as a new dad.
I heard that when you have a child,
You see the world fresh through their eyes.
What was once routine becomes new again.
I look forward to many firsts in the coming years.
And I want to offer you a contemplation.
Are you in a year of lasts or firsts?
If it's lasts,
How can you be more present and honor the endings?
If it's firsts,
How can you open your mind and let go of old programming on how things should be?
Of course,
Life isn't so binary.
We are always in cycles of lasts and firsts,
Yet one is likely more present.
If you can't tell,
Or if it feels like you're living the same year over and over again,
That's a sign your soul needs growth.
And I encourage you to do something about it.
Seek a coach,
Find a retreat,
Shake up what's normal.
If we don't die to who we were,
We will never know who we're meant to become.
May you stay present to the comings and goings,
The endings and beginnings of your life.
And I thank you so much for this opportunity to share with you here in this first recording that I am doing since back being a father.
I am grateful to have crossed that initiation.
I hope there's more things that I learn in this process that makes sense to share and to hopefully help you glean and contemplate your life in a deeper and more meaningful way.
I look forward to connecting soon.
And as always,
I'd love to hear maybe what season you are in.
So feel free to leave a comment,
Share how this resonated.
And yeah,
Sending lots of love.
