MILESTONES, MILEMARKERS, CHRONOLOGICAL REGISTERS....

Something I think about at times is the way we look at the timeline of our lives. From birth to death we are moving along on our calendar of life. The most common way to see this is by the days, weeks, months and years on a calendar.
We mark special dates on the calendar. Birth(days), first day of school, graduation, weddings, birth of children, anniversaries, funerals etc.
Now, I often find myself referencing periods in my life in relation to some major or significant events in my life instead of a date on a calendar. Even though I may know that date, that is not what I first think of as the "marker". Other times, I don't know an exact date. But instead can give a range. (Am I rambling?)

Let me try to give some examples.
Here's a general one. No specific date, age, grade etc. One time in school at recess we were playing soccer. Someone mentioned that they wanted to play without rules. So I picked up the ball and started running toward the goal. (Suddenly there were rules.) Now to say when this happened....it was before the school expanded and built over the playground. I could guess at a date but it would only be a guess.

Another example is my job. I know what date I started but I don't reference it that way too often. I know that 19 years ago I started. Five years ago I changed positions in the company. I was single when I started. I got married while working there, had five children and lost my wife.

Different jobs can also be a marker before I did job "x". Or after I worked at "z".

And the last I'll mention is probably one of the most significant. My wife. I often use her passing as a marker. There have been a lot of changes going on in me leading up to and after this event. So it becomes a point of reference, and has that label rather than just a calendar date.

Just something that's been on my mind. Hopefully it makes some sort of sense and isn't too boring. Hahaha!

I myself have sort of "epochs" in my life, it is not so unreasonable to be vague about it.

Exact dates are relevant for some things but I base quite a few things on "headspaces".


3-11, 11-18, 18-21, 21-25, 25-29 Each with a unique modifier that was like an upgraded "engine" in a sense mentally speaking. Some headspaces translate across my lifetime but very few.

It is unfortunate but I only get brief snippets into the actual "resonance" of the memories themselves. Everything else is looking backward. I might recall what I did when I was 6 and even recall what I thought but through the lens of what I know now and who I am.

It is equally frustrating that memories have a "shine" to them that seemingly cannot be realized in the present. Memories are like a collection to me and while rebalancing may need to occur, I find it difficult to relinquish them.

Memories are a difficult to explain thing. There exists for me a sort of "main narrative" which I would describe as my "story" and then other extraneous things that are more like subconscious building blocks or "side things"


Ex: your work is very similar every day, pointing out what made the day different would be difficult as there are a lot of similarities. One day, perchance, a serious altercation breaks out between co-workers or you get to share some of "His" story. That is part of my highlight reel and is "saved" to my memory in a way that the hum drum is not.

It depends on what I am trying to compartmentalize, but chronology has sort of "benchmarks" depending on what it is. Figuring out Job history (I have had many) I go based off the original "epochs" and then consider the work itself and what time that might have been and am usually correct about the time "frame" but not specifics.

If I had to put it to paper I think I'd do alright, though it would require some "legwork"

It is interesting factoring in these "epochs" when relating to particular activities. Hiking up a trail just to find a bench and have a 3 hour conversation with friends I cannot imagine in my current "season". I only know that I did do that and that there was energy to do it at the time. At times I'm able to remember the energy of a moment (physical/mental/spiritual) and I appreciate the Lord for allowing me that type of remembrance because it is sweet to look back and be thankful when I'm feeling bitter or despondent.

There are some moments that translate across my life like I said though, these are pretty unexplainable and though I heard this word in an International house of prayer meeting (BDF discussions aside) I think perhaps these are Kairos moments. They're pretty private but kind of make up me. I can't really share them but I can share where I'm pretty sure they originate, that is, the Lord


Welp, I know I am rambling. It was fun though lol.

I believe what you are speaking of is fairly normal for people. Marking certain events in their lives gives context and reference points.

One I remember, which may well serve to define most, if not all such things, is when I was a child, my mother would stand me in the doorway and use a pencil to mark my height. Every so often, she would do it again to see how much I had grown. In time, I grew into a man, and the marks on that doorjamb were many.

The most important measurement for me though was when I became a Christian in my Senior year of High School. The years of serving God have served as the marks on the doorjamb to measure how much I have grown in Him.

Thank you for your thoughts and this Thread.

I grew up on the wet coast of Canada. While I recall many specific events, few are salient. Sixteen years ago, I moved to the middle of Canada, where it is much drier and colder (in winter). Nine years later, my marriage ended.

… and life began.

Forgetting the lies behind, I press on.