Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Milestones

I'm really not staying on top of things too well here. Believe it or not this was my 500th post. I meant to do something for 500, ah well...pretzels will have to do. As near as I can figure I had my 50,00th visitor sometime during this post or that one. Since I was so late about checking my stats I can't even tell you who that person was. Heck, I wasn't even around for my second blogiversary, although it was incredibly cool to spend it meeting a fellow blogger for the first time.

Actually, it is pretty weird to think I've come up with 500 things to post about (Granted not all those ideas were good, but still it shocks me.) It's downright mindboggling to imagine folks have wanted to come see those 500 posts 50,000 times. So I really need to thank all of you who stop by here regularly to see what sort of silliness I slap up here. I started this thing as a way to stay in touch with some pals from Yahoo! Trivia rooms and to have a creative outlet that cost no money. Now I have over 100 people I read on a regular basis and average 80 people stopping by here on a given day. How'd that happen???

Well, in any event it makes me think of milestones in general. There are obvious ones in life like graduating, landing a first job, getting married, having children. There are surprising ones like finding your first gray hair, the first time you are addressed as "sir" or "ma'am" or the first time something breaks when you own your first home.

I remember as a teenager the first time my mother came to me for comfort and I was the one who had the confidence things would work out. She had worked in a horrid little garment factory for 9 years after Dad left. When my brother and I got to be teens she decided she could squeeze in a few night classes at the Vo-Tech school to gain some computer and office skills. She had walked out the factory for the last time and was working in an office as secretary. Finally, she had some degree of financial security and didn't have to wonder when the boss would decide to cut her rate and screw her out of hard earned pay or when the next lengthy lay-off would happen and leave her counting pennies. Unfortunately, she wound up being-downsized a year or so after landing that job. She came home devastated and in tears. Now you have to understand how rare a thing it was for my mom to ever cry in front of us. She is the queen of the brave front. She was always factual about our finances, there was no secret, but she never let us see her worry. This time she was nearly inconsolable and terrified she'd have no choice but to go back to the factory. I well understood what that meant. At the same time I just knew, and knew with certainty, she'd never set foot in that miserable place again. I told her so. We talked about practical steps she was going to take to make sure her worst fears were not realized. It was the first time I felt like I was talking with her more as an adult and less like her child.

Tell me about one of your milestones, one that was not so obvious but one that you still remember its impact.

30 comments:

S said...

Well now, that would have been the night when I was introduced to mind expanding digestibles, the 36 hour experience following about blew my head right off!

I was never the same after that, thank goodness. After that day, I knew, I had to get the heck out of my parents house, and have my own life in Venice where I belonged and NOT behind the orange curtain.

That night in 1979 changed my life and who I am, and how I express myself, forever. For that mind expanding experience, I must thank Tommy, who later became the assholian first husband. NO matter, the most important thing I ever got from him, I got on the first night of our 36 hour long first date!

S said...

Oh and BTW, I was first!

Logophile said...

Congrats on your 500!
Ive enjoyed them ALL.

Charles said...

Wow, 500+. I've yet to achieve my first 100, and its been over 2 years. I guess I'm more a reader than a poster. Except I'm a poster child of what not to be. ;)

Rick Rockhill said...

Wow 500! congrats. I was getting excited about hitting my 300th post soon!

Jocelyn said...

That paragraph about your mom that day is gold. Lovely.

Milestone: I remember, when I was 19, my sister talked me through how to insert a tampon (FINALLY). We were in Mexico, in a hotel, and she wouldn't come in the bathroom with me, but she put her mouth down to the crack at the bottom of the door and answered my questions about which hole did what...and how to just relax.

Life transforming, really.

lime said...

susie, i cannot imagine you as anything other than the wildly creative and bubbly susie you are.

logo, thanks..and i have thoroughly enjoyed each of yours.

charles, well i appreciate youcoming along for the ride:)

savant, well 300 IS an exciting milestone too!

jocelyn, thank youso much. as for your milestone....FABULOUS! my calypso came home from camp this summer telling me she was the girl in the cabin who instructed all the other girls so they were able to participate in swimming. woohoo1

snowelf said...

Oh thank you Lime! I am so writing a blog post about my story. It's silly and cute. :)

--snow

snowelf said...

I loved the story of your mother...I think I am that kind of mom too as I hate to upset my chilis.

And congrats on your 500th!! :)

--snow

BTExpress said...

Congratulations on the 50k and 500! After reading your stats, I checked mine and was shocked, like you were. I've had just over 60k visitors and almost 700 posts. I never imagined that when I started this.

My Yahoo videos are doing pretty goos too. They've had over 17k hits in the 5 months I've been posting them. I never would have imagined that one.

I've had a few life changing things.

One was when I told my father the truth about cutting school so much and he was so shock I didn't lie to him like I always did, that he didn't even punish me. Ever since then I learn that honesty really is the best policy.

Another one when I had the out of body experience when I was wounded. I've not been the same since.

Bunny said...

My life-changing moment came when I was 12. I learned (long story) that my father was cheating on my mother. I had to recognize that my beloved father was not perfect and indeed was as flawed as the rest of us mortals. (BTW, I never told my mom, although I suspect she learned about it, and my parents are still together)

lime said...

snowelf, i can't wait to read about it. and you know...it's ok for your kids to see you cry. ;)

btexpress, you have indeed had some life changing moments both blogwise and lifewise. i don't think i realized you had an out of body!

bunny, wow! that is quite the lifechanger for a kid.

david mcmahon said...

What a wonderful, poignant, touching way to mark a milestone.

That conversation will stay with you always ....

david mcmahon said...

Er, could I point out that in your case, maybe a 500-post milestone is actually a Lime-stone!!!

TLP said...

When I was ten my oldest sister, Mary, told me the facts of life. She was 20 and pregnant. She couldn't believe that I knew nothing at all about how babies were born. Later than year, I started having periods. It was the end of the world as I knew it. I still remember each and every word she said.

Crabby said...

I have one but...man is it embarrassing. Ok.....when I was a kid there were no men around. Dad left when I was 7...and there was just nothing but girls. Course we didn't have internet and tv was a whole different ballgame back then. So when Bob and I first started dating and I noticed something hard in his pants, I thought he'd hidden my pool locker in there. I flicked it with my finger and said..."Ok...so what's that?"

And that was my first introduction to the male anatomy. I'm doing much better with it now.

Cooper said...

Congrats on your proflific milestone!

One for me would be on the opposite end of the spectrum; having the final child move out of the house. All sorts of wild ideas and possibilites open up...along with aging fears. But it's all part of the game!

BTExpress said...

LMAO at Crabby!!!!

Lime, guess you haven't read the stories in my Vietnam story blog. I'm writing a book about that period of my life. But being a champion procrastinator, it may take me 10 or thirty years to finish. ;-)

Paul Champagne said...

Having just recently posted my 100th, all I can say is WOW

Keep on Blogging!

Commander Zaius said...

Congrats on the 500.

One of the most staggering milestones for me was when my grandfather passed away. As you have read at my site my parent's marriage imploded when I was 11 really messing my mind up. My grandfather for the most part rescued me and over the years I lived him him and my grandmother helped me to recover. He was such a strong fixture in my life not having him around was a huge thing to overcome.

Anonymous said...

I may post about it sometime... I loved reading yours. (Milestone Monday? Hmmm... yours would certainly be the perfect hub.) Happy milestones all around!

You're surprised so may folk come here? I'm not. :)

Cheers!

lime said...

david, thank you for the kind words and if anyone could come up with an appropriate pun it is you!

tlp, oh my goodness, bless your sister for giving you the education you needed.

crabby, LMAO!!! you win! hands down, you win! that is hilarious!

cooper, i am looking at my first leaving home in a couple years and that has my head spinning in all directions.

paul, thank you. i do intend to keep it up

beach bum, thanks. and i can fully appreciate the stabilizing influence of loving grandparents through an imploded home life. thank god for them....

lecram, i can't wait to read yours. i have no doubt it will reveal more of your depth and what makes you such a fascainting person. and thank you for the kind words.

G-Man said...

Congratulations!!
You are on your way to 1000. Yay!!!!!
You Rock Limey!!
xoxox

Unknown said...

Five hundred. Wow. That's something.

My life changed for good the day I discovered Diet Coke. I've been addicted ever since.

Grumpy said...

With milestones like that, it's no wonder your blog seems like part of the furniture.

Just keep them coming. Always good and always interesting.

:)

Mother Theresa said...

congrats on 500! I'm not surprised you got there, or that so many people want to read your posts, they are fantastic. That is one helluva milestone you have there. That has got to change your life.

I had lots of milestones, mostly the typical ones: going off to college, getting married, having kids, but I think one of the most important ones was moving to Spain. I gave up my past to start over in a new country, and that is something that changes you forever.

lime said...

g-man, you are pretty rocking yourself!

dorky dad, i am so sorry. lol

grumpy, thanks, friend. i'll do my best.

theresa, thanks for the kind words. a move overseas is DEFINITELY a big milestone.

Sudiegirl said...

Milestone...this Christmas season marks the fifth year since my last hospitalization for Bipolar disorder.

Anonymous said...

I must say lime there are 500posts and then there are 500POSTS. Yours are usually packed with humor, information and/or both.
Congrats hon.:)
tc

Robert van de Walle said...

Hey, where did my comment go?

Well, congrats on 500 in any case. That's great! But I guess I'm not supposed to tell you my milestone.