Special moments

These special “first” moments are a delight.

Birth, crawling, first teeth. Sleeping through the night for the first time – a baby’s milestone that brings happiness and relief to every parent. Time moves rapidly on. Standing alone, walking, learning to talk – those first words are a joy to every parent’s ears. At least until they reach the “No!” stage. 

I frequently hear, “I did it! I did it!” as the two-year-old triumphantly declares her success at managing a new self-imposed task. Today, her pleasure is evident as she buckles the two toy dogs into her highchair. As soon as one is in, he must be unbuckled so the other one can have a turn. She does this non-stop for half an hour. Last week she could not manage the buckle. A little milestone in her life.

Special moments? Success at pushing oneself on a swing, tying shoelaces, using a scooter, riding a tricycle, then a bike, climbing on a rope structure, balancing on a beam, using a zip-line. More milestones: the first day of school, losing teeth, the first accomplishments at sport, ballet, or gymnastics. Each of these brings joy and pleasure to a parent, and a grandparent.

Life passes so quickly. Before long, milestones become the first day of high school, puberty markers, falling in love, driving lessons, driving permit, the last day of school and graduation, falling in love (again, and maybe again) … and so life’s cycle continues, each milestone being a signal of joyful and satisfying growth and development.

As we get older, the milestones decrease in frequency, but are still very important and to be celebrated. The start of a new career, marriage, each child’s birth, then much later, the delight of becoming a grandparent. Each experience has significance.

Then what? Are there no more milestones? Does everything then seem to unwind as we slowly become less independent?

It doesn’t have to. We can always set new and realistic goals to achieve, or at least strive to reach. Recently a lady completed a sky-dive experience on her ninetieth birthday. That's her milestone marker. She did it for the first time on her eightieth birthday. She hopes to do it again on her ninety-fifth (being realistic). She says each time, “I did it! I did it!” with just as much pleasure as the two-year-old mastering a highchair buckle.

Not that I had set myself any such goal, but I’ve just been told I have today achieved a milestone. Three years ago, I had no idea that on this day I would be posting my 750th piece of writing. Seven hundred and fifty – in two years and six months. I’d always wanted to be a writer. (Yes, I know many of you have done that in half the time … that doesn’t matter – it’s my little achievement.) Life always got in the way. I’m now going to count myself as a writer.

“I did it! I did it!”

I am as happy as any two-year-old.