Navigating Life’s Milestones: Reflections on Change and Progress

When Inspiration Strikes Late: A Procrastinator’s Dilemma

I’m stuck.

I have been for a little while now.

I thought the pressure of a looming deadline might stir something within me, wake my procrastinating spirit to action.

It’s Easter Monday as they call it on the calendar. Is that a “Bank Holiday” or was that on Friday? What’s with “banking hours”? They just casually add a day off to their week, even when the holiday doesn’t fall on that day?

Early Morning Reflections: Rain, Coffee, and Quiet Moments

Woke up to the sound of rain outside this morning, the house was still sleeping as it was 5am. Maybe I included the time here because I want you to think special of me for waking up at 5am, but trust me, it was not pretty. I hit snooze two times, put my feet on the ground at 5:24 and was back in bed with a cup of coffee for Stephanie and myself shortly after. The part about coming back to bed with coffee though—that was pretty special.

Seasonal Cycles on the North Shore: Comfort in Change

Things are changing here on the North Shore for sure. They are the seasonal changes that come and go each year. They bring a sort of comfort to us to affirm that we are moving through a cycle of sorts. We had rain (by the lake) this morning, while inland folks woke up to snow. Road bans will take effect soon, if they haven’t already. The final countdown for the school calendar has begun, and World’s Best Donut shop will open in the coming weeks.

Then there are changes that tell us another story. At this point, the story for me is that I’m slowly stepping into the second half of my life. These changes make me feel old—literally and figuratively. Claire, my oldest daughter, is 18 and will graduate from high school in just a few short weeks. There are also (not so glamorous) changes, like looking in the mirror and discovering I have hair growing in places like…never mind, I digress.

The Significance of Milestones: Markers of Growth and Progress

As I write this, I realize the things above aren’t as much changes as they are milestones in our lives.

Milestones are significant points or achievements, marking progress in various aspects of life, including developmental milestones in children, project milestones in business, or personal milestones in an individual’s journey.

As seasonal changes remind us of our place in the world’s cycles, milestones remind us of where we’ve been and what’s ahead. These markers may be planned or appear unexpectedly, forcing us to reflect and adapt.

A Building and Fika Update: Milestones in Progress

Milestones come in all forms—some deeply personal, like watching Claire prepare for graduation, and others more tangible, like the progress on our building project.

The building project is set to wrap up at the end of summer in September. This is a moving target of sorts, but hopefully, by fall, we’ll be roasting coffee and taking saunas in Fika Headquarters. Did you know we have a studio apartment as part of the building, too? I hope we’ll have someone living there this fall as well!

The siding on the exterior is getting finished this week. It’s so fun to see a completed part of the build, and it’s looking sharp!

The drywallers will be starting this week, and I’m guessing the drywall will be painted within a couple of weeks.

Right out front, there’s a square paneled box just waiting to be transformed with some art (see below). Anyone got any ideas?

Finding Comfort in Change: A Reflection on Life’s Rhythms

And so, as the rain falls and milestones approach, I find myself both grounded and adrift. There’s a comfort in the rhythms of life: the cycles we rely on, the milestones we celebrate, even the moments of feeling stuck. They remind us that change, whether welcomed or unexpected, is inevitable and beautifully human.

Here’s to those moments that pause us long enough to reflect, to celebrate the passing of time, and to cherish the progress we sometimes don’t even notice.