The first time he remembered hearing the word milestone used was at his thirteenth birthday celebration. It seemed he was no longer a kid, he had become a teenager. His next milestone, his twenty-first birthday party would be well remembered. His life progressed, there were things to do, places to go and people to see.
He was pleased they didn’t put fifty candles on the birthday cake when he reached, what was again called a milestone. But, just as the batsman removes his helmet, waves it to the crowd, points his bat to his mates and then settles down to continue his innings, so life continued after fifty.
While milestones may not have meant much to him in the past, the letter he received from Centrelink, along with the attached form, made him very much aware of the significance of his sixty-fifth birthday. An appointment had been made for him to visit his local Centrelink office.
A smiling clerk called his name and he walked with him to his cubicle at the rear of the office. He found himself being congratulated. It was official, he was now an ‘Old Age Pensioner’. It seems that at 75 he was to reach another milestone and be required to obtain a doctor’s certificate just to keep driving his car.
So, what! he thought. How about a century – now that would be a real milestone. One he felt which would definitely be worth jumping in the air and waving the bat to the crowd.
I’m Peter Mack and that’s life.