They are like bookends to a chapter.
Without having these in our experiences, it hard to know when to evaluate. When do you reflect back?
Currently in my life I have zero concrete plans in my future. This is the first time in my life that this has happened. No family vacations. No travel plans. No final exams. No organized sporting events. No parties to look forward to. No large client meetings to prepare for. No future cohort of classes signed up for.
This is weird. A good type of weird though.
It is a forcing function to enjoy the present. Without something to look forward to it makes me make the most of the present.
It has become a time when I appreciate company even more. Seeing people doesn’t mean planning something extravagent. It means spending quality time with the people you care about.
Where are the benchmarks in relationships? The time and different layers of each others that you have seen.
Without relationships, life would lose its meaning. Others bring out the purpose of why we are here. Connection brings feelings of joy and knowing you are not alone.
Pay attention to benchmarks, but make them up as you go along. Don’t feel that life is lifeless without them.