Milestones-

I used to run, yet I don’t think it would be fair to say that I used to be a runner.  Runners are people who (I think) enjoy running.  I ran because it felt really good when the run was over.  I was never particularly good at it, yet when I committed myself to a training program it was remarkable to discover how trainable my body was.  

After a moderate amount of stretching, I’d walk about a quarter mile before starting the timer on my watch and try to settle into my desired pace.  I had memorized markers or milestones along my route – letting me know when to check my time to see if I was on or off of my pace.  A particular mailbox.  A birch tree with a crooked trunk.  It took effort to get to each one, with considerably more effort required for those farther away from my starting point.  

It has been a few years now since I’ve done any running. I blame that on my knees or lower back, yet I admit that I have just let myself slow down.  Now I drive past those markers with ease.  It’s easy for me to forget about the effort it once took for me to achieve each one.  

2025 is a year of many milestones in my life, which causes me to reflect a bit more on the past.  Our oldest son turned 25 this week.  I fondly recall on the second or third day after we had brought him home from the hospital I figured I should get the leaves raked up in the yard while he was taking an afternoon nap.  With rake in hand, it occurred to me that I wasn’t just some guy cleaning up his yard.  I was a DAD cleaning up his yard.  It was a milestone I didn’t know existed yet it made me stand a little taller and dig into the task with a little more vigor.   

As a quarter of a century raced by there have been countless other milestones – both personally and professionally.  Some occurred with seemingly very little preparation or forethought, while others took planning and deliberate effort.  It’s easy to overlook them now – almost like driving by a mailbox or birch tree with a  crooked trunk that used to have so much more meaning.  

I vow to continue working hard to achieve the next milestone(s) – recognizing that some of them might come out of nowhere while others will require planning and deliberate effort.  I also want to be a little more intentional about remembering those milestones already achieved.  Celebrate them again.  Maybe doing so will help me get off this chair and into the yard to rake leaves with a little more vigor.  Heck, I might even lace up those running shoes.  

What are the mailboxes or birch trees with crooked trunks are you driving by these days?  And what milestone are you striving for next?