Milestones

Milestones. Turning points. Landmarks. They describe the same thing, and we all have them. As a matter of fact, it can be argued that our lives are defined by them. They take many forms, such as our first step, our first spoken word, graduating from high school, marriage, and so on. But each one denotes a change in our lives. That which we accepted as normal before, has changed. Because of a milestone, our "normal" has become something else.

I had a milestone when I was four years old. One day, a door-to-door salesman came to our house selling Ajax laundry detergent (I know - I'm dating myself!). Back in the day, Ajax ran a series of commercials where a white knight jousted with the clothesline to get the clothes clean. Well, this salesman was wearing a suit of armour painted white. I was in awe as he gave my mom his sales pitch, and I spent the rest of the morning at the front window watching him walk up and down the street.

That was a major milestone in my life. From that moment on, I was hooked on all things medieval. I couldn't read enough, or watch enough, or pretend enough. I was fascinated by armour and the men who wore it. Another milestone was when I was 20, and I started making armour as a hobby, and then again, when I turned

my hobby into a 25-year business.

Still another milestone was when I had surgery on my shoulder

three years ago, and it was unsuccessful. That ended my armouring career. I needed to find another vocation, so I turned to writing. I've always loved writing as much as my interest in the middle ages, and I wrote off and on since grade school. It picked up about 20 years ago, and since then I've written numerous articles for magazines, dozens of short stories, and seven novels. Unable to make armour anymore, I decided to make a new career of writing. The result is my novel Solar Warden, which became a milestone when it went up for sale on Amazon on February 29, 2020. So because of a milestone, my previous normal - making armour - has been replaced with writing. I'm now a published author.

When I started my business making armour 25 years ago, I was excited and a little apprehensive. I wasn't sure what the future held for me. Twenty-five years later, I look back on that milestone and smile. Facing a new career, I have those same feelings of excitement and apprehension, but I know it will work out. I don't fear milestones - I'm entering a new phase in my life, and I can't wait to see what it will bring!