As I get older, I recognize more and more the importance of benchmarks – points of reference.  There are many significant benchmarks in my life.

Of course, there are many more benchmarks that are momentous in a long and productive life.  But a list of all benchmarks would be very, very long.

Today, I reached a delightful benchmark.  It isn’t life altering.  It isn’t even really noteworthy to anyone but me.  It certainly isn’t crucial to a long and productive life for me. 

But, with each year that passes, I realize the increasing importance of contact with others and positive results of that contact – whether the contact is with family, friends, acquaintances, or – even – my blog readers (which, actually, are probably mostly family and friends because they know I’ll haunt them if they don’t).

This morning, my blog – my sharing of thoughts and experiences about growing older – achieved 1,000 hits. 

Now, I know this is a very insignificant number compared to the hits on hundreds and thousands of blogs on the internet.  But it’s important to me.  Writers like to have an audience after all.  And this benchmark reminds me that each minute, each day, each experience in life is valuable in some way.

Thank you, blog readers, for this benchmark.  Go forth and take note of your experiences – your benchmarks – today.