Milestones, marking time

What does it mean to celebrate the mundane? As my birthday approaches, I reflect on the years, the dreams, the losses. We often think of milestones as “big” things —graduations, weddings, large crowds, and lots of ‘Likes’ on social media. Hollywood. But the truth is, most of life is spent in transitional moments, day to day.

Writing about a somewhat ordinary birthday seems silly. I feel a bit like Carey Bradshaw from the television hit Sex and the City when she throws herself a wedding shower as a single person, registry and all. She declares there is no ‘typical family structure,’ and everyone is worth celebrating.

For years, I dreamed of composing a life where — surrounded by beautiful people and lush green trees — I would offer workshops, write, and develop tools that helped people cope with life’s challenges. It is happening and has been for a few years. Not on an epic scale, yet happening. Surprisingly it sometimes feels awkward. You’d think that when you reach your goals — buy a new house, retire, have a child, it would be all peaches, but oddly discomfort pops up.

“Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate. Our Deepest Fear Is That We Are Powerful Beyond Measure” as Marianne Williamson quotes Nelson Mandela. Achieving your goals somehow signals that you don’t have to keep fighting to get ‘there.’ You already arrived, and the new goal is to maintain, which is an entirely different ball game than persevering. Arriving feels to me like switching from playing defense to playing offense. Obtaining freedom…