We all have milestones, both individual and shared. At this time of the year, it seems almost everyone is celebrating a milestone of some kind. Most of us have experienced our own graduation from high school, many from college. We probably remember it being a big deal. And we may have forgotten that it really was.

If we can savor our milestones when they happen as much as we do when looking back, we'll realize how important they really are in the moment. Day in and day out, we are not usually celebrating, and days go by without our stopping to take in the importance of small milestones. But they happen all the time.

Milestones mean change. The very fact that we celebrate them alerts us to the fact that life is changing. How often do we realize how much changes in our lives with a milestone?

At this very moment, I am aware of how many milestones are happening in and around my life. And, I suppose, your life as well.

I have written a two-page story noting the milestones of my business that is now counting down 12 months to its 40th year. One of my granddaughters is graduating from college. My daughter has a newborn grandson. A coworker has purchased a home. We have advertised for an account executive. Our 22-year office manager is working part-time, gradually retiring. All these milestones remind me how constantly life changes, for us and for those close to us.

Some milestones are joyous, some very sad. All have importance. Experienced thoroughly, milestones can enrich our lives, cement memories, connect us to others. And when we are aware of others' milestones, we can share our humanity.

The one constant in milestones is a need to share them. If we stay tuned to the milestones of others, we will never experience ours alone.