Milestones & Epiphanies
As all parents will attest, moving into parenthood is perhaps THE milestone of Life. My kids are almost-6 and 14, and I just adore and cherish them, being their dad is perhaps the greatest good fortune of all.
Sailing back from Hawai'i 25 years ago as part of a 2 man crew on a 34' trimaran was another major milestone and rite of passage. We had some weather oddities that forced us to sail as far north as Washington before we turned toward the mainland, so we were at sea for 28 days. At the end of my life, if I have the time to take stock of the amazing sights I have beheld, many of them will be from these 28 astounding days. Being checked out at close range (as in maybe 10 feet) by a blue whale probably 3 times the length of our boat, watching the Perseid meteor shower one becalmed, glassy night, spending a midnight watch being entertained by a pod of curious dolphins, the sunrises and sunsets, the moonrises and moonsets, most of this taking place thousands of miles away from ANYWHERE, in thousands of feet of water. Simply astonishing memories that have not faded with time.
Getting a pilot's license was a red letter day. Soloing a plane for the first time is pretty thrilling. I have unfortunately not remained current; airplanes are an incredibly efficient way to make piles of money disappear. I envy George Reich and Vince Riggs, and whoever else of us are still boring holes in the sky.