Growing in steps

When we’re young everything is new. Every small event is a big experience for us. A new game, a new way to school — in our eyes they are not just regular happenings, they are something more. They are proof that this world is expanding and that there is so much more that we still need to see. It’s a confirmation of endless possibility.

As we get older and older much less is seen as ‘new’ or ‘exciting’. We have already seen and experienced so much that similar new things are put into categories and don’t surprise us anymore. We start to realize that not much is actually completely ‘new’ anymore.

But let’s get back to the exciting part of our lives again. The period when doing everything for the first time would raise a nice tingle in the bottom of the stomach. The period when getting out of bed was easy because you were eager to see what happens next.

The first day of school. The first time being yelled at by a teacher because you did something silly with a friend. The first time you got away with doing something stupid. The first time you saw someone you like. The first time you snuck out of home to meet up with friends. All of these things you will remember for a long time.

Everyone has a similar story to tell about first experiences, but for some reason, all of those experiences are completely unique. Whether it’s the setting of where it took place, or the people you were with, your story will always be original. It’s also possible that because of this fact in particular it’s so heartwarming to listen to other people’s first time experiences.

When following David’s story as a 12 year old in the beginning and a 17 year old afterwards, so many of his experiences raise a smile. You see the young boy’s enthusiasm and passion to sneak out anytime he can to play baseball with his friends even if it’s not allowed by his father. You see his compassion towards his slightly autistic brother, who never leaves his room, and his pure outburst of joy when he finally gets the chance to connect with him over their mutual love for baseball. You also see the growing curiosity about the opposite sex.

When David gets older, more new experiences are offered to David. Natalie — his first love that must be kept in secret from his conservative father. Going out with friends and other ways of having fun for a 17 year old are very open-ended questions. The question about graduation and the future is also something that lingers at all times — probably the biggest new experience decision for a teenager.

You can’t help but smile — David is growing up.

Originally published at www.extrainningsmovie.com.