Milestones are an integral part of life. Such events as our birth, graduations, new jobs, marriages, birth of children and grandchildren, divorces, career changes, relocations, deaths of family members and friends, and retirements can be major milestones that have the potential to re-direct energies, create changes, and move the life process on new pathways.
Over a period of eight decades, I have experienced all of the above. This week, I will experience a new one—turning eighty. It gives me pause to look back over those years that have gone by so quickly.
The older I get, the more selective is my memory. Some of the past decisions that I used to regret don’t seem so bad anymore. The gift of time creates a deeper appreciation and understanding. Were it not for those difficult challenges, I would not be here, now.
As I look at the family picture that was taken when I was three years old, I am reminded that we are all just passing through. My parents and six siblings have all moved on, leaving me as the last one standing. In time, I expect to join them. That’s life.
Every one of us has a choice how to experience the life that we have been dealt. We can choose to celebrate the milestones along the way, or we can suffer the millstones that we voluntarily hang around our necks.
Personally, I’ve never acquired a taste for millstones. I intend to celebrate this milestone.
