Experiencing milestones in life is truly a blessing. Not only is it a mark in one's journey to note how one has been living and what he or she has accomplished, it makes one feel alive! Rather, it should. Milestones are like chapters in a book, and anyone can determine how many chapters will go in one.
Most religions and cultures mark the day a child becomes an adult. Indeed, such an occurrence is a milestone. Even though age does not appear to mark this important stage, there are times and events when suddenly a child awakens to the perception of adults. This is the essence of milestones and why such is celebrated.
Native American culture and spirituality has important, celebrated milestones. For instance, a mark of manhood for most Native American tribes was the day a boy went out to hunt with the tribesmen. Indeed, this is a major milestone for a culture that relied on hunting wild game for food. As with most religions as well, the day a woman moved in with another family marked a major milestone and was often celebrated by terms of an agreement and ritual celebrating the marriage of two people.
There are so many milestones in life, whether one recognizes them, or not. How people celebrate them differ throughout cultures because some cultures may not even celebrate an important milestone. A girl's period, for instance. Although many cultures celebrate the age surrounding the change in a girl's body from child to woman, there is no real direct celebration for the first sign of her menstruation cycle, which is significant and will last for decades. Thus, girls may not even be able to process what such milestone should mean to them. If more girls were aware of the milestone that involves having a monthly occurrence take place for years to come which signified she was able to birth a child and start a family, and that such occurrence is sacred, more cultures might celebrate its significance and milestone mark.
The accomplishments of men might be celebrated differently because at times it is hard to tell when a boy becomes a man. Is it when a boy serves his family more and then starts his own that he officially becomes a celebrated man? Is it the onset of hormones and how the boy responds to them that determines such mark? Perhaps it is when a boy first performs a selfless act and provides for others in a heroic way that determines a boy's sudden mark into manhood. No matter which way such event occurs, it is significant and should also be celebrated as a life-changing event.
Milestones appear to jolt a soul into realization. Such occurrences, whether recognized or not, or which arrive in detail, or not- whether self-made or founded by culture, appear to mark each soul with a special area of growth. Realizing, celebrating, and accomplishing such milestones are significant, and seem to truly mark chapters in life each of us face.
