Today is my little brother’s 19th birthday. Exactly a year ago, I was thinking about how he’d just turned 18, and I wrote down this thought. I’m sharing it here on the Interwebs for the first time.
Sam O turns 18 today. 18’s one of those unimportant important birthdays. He gets to do nothing special, at least just yet. He can’t drink. He’s already driving.
But it’s a milestone. And we, as people, are geared to love milestones. They don’t necessarily tell us where we’re going, but they remind us from where we’ve come.
In a way, that’s frustrating. Because sometimes, it feels like we’re always just starting. Hit 13 and you’re starting life as a man. Hit 16 and you’re starting life as a driver. Hit 18 and you’re starting life as a college kid.
But on the other hand: we are always just starting. We’re always getting new beginnings. We’re always looking forward.
So maybe what milestones really are are an opportunity to remind ourselves of one of the reasons why life is so worth living:
The potential to make tomorrow better than today.