Milestones

Let’s be honest, nobody really cares what you had for breakfast or dinner last night.

Nobody cares how your workout was or that you went to the gym 75 times this week.

And nobody especially cares that you had an awesome vacation that none of the rest of us were able go on.

But what we do care about, if we genuinely care about you, is the milestones these posts often represent. This morning, I began to take the obligatory first day of school photos of my boys and realized we have reached a milestone this year. Noah, our oldest and the one refusing to smile in the photos, is starting high school. This is a milestone. High school was an unforgettable time in my life and I expect it to be in his as well. Additionally, he is growing up. He is one step closer to being out of our home and on his own. He is one step closer to becoming an adult. He is one step closer to finding his own life apart from us as his parents.

As I thought about it this morning, I enjoy being able to share in these moments of the lives of friends and family thanks to social media. We can all share in the milestones our friends and families reach. Which is what social media is about for me. I use it to share what is happening in my life and to enjoy what is happening in your life. These milestones are meant to be celebrated, to be enjoyed, and to be reveled in. These are the moments in time that draw us closer together, that builds the community we have together, and makes it stronger. Honestly, I’m in uncharted territory for me today. I have a son in high school. While this feels crazy, it is reality. I asked hims today if he was nervous and he was like no. I was nervous for him! He is attending a high school that has a ninth grade center, but is taking at least one class on the main campus. I got a little overwhelmed thinking about the fact he has to go to TWO brand new schools today. And while I know he is capable and will survive just fine, it is kind of scary.

This is where sharing these milestones comes in, because I know other parents who have already been here and experienced this. Parents who will encourage me that it is ok and that he will be ok. I know this to be true, because I have been that person for many of my friends. I am not old (unless you ask my friend Mike), but I am older. My boys aren’t grown yet, but they are older than some of my friend’s kids (and there are three of them, which is its own unique challenge). Ronda and have been married for a long time. We have hit many milestones before our friends and have the opportunity to share our experiences with our friends and family. And sometimes, we hit milestones that are new territory for us.

Milestones are what really makes life enjoyable, though right? These are the experiences we should be remembering and taking note of. These are the things that make life fun and worth living. These are the moments that often define how the rest of life is gauged. Sometimes the milestones we hit are painful and remind of us hurt. Sometimes the milestones are ones we don’t want to remember. Even those are worth remembering because they are markers of our life and where we have been. That’s what a milestone is anyway. It was originally a stone laid along the road to note when you had traveled a mile. You knew how far you had traveled by noting the number of milestones you passed. The same is still true for us. We can see how far we have come in life or how we have overcome obstacles or the course of our accomplishments or simply watch the growth of our children by noting the milestones. The significant moments that mark something special.

Enjoy my family’s cheesy first day of school photos, because for us it marks a milestone that we will remember for years to come.