I’m not sure when we became such an attention deficit society.  It’s probably the result of the industrial age. Today, new technologies and inventions come along much more quickly than they did even 25 years ago. It’s simply expected. One invention makes its predecessor obsolete in a matter of months, or even weeks now, not years.

That phenomenon creates a strange type of attention deficit.

Think about the difference between a kayaker slowly paddling down a body of water, and a speedboat aficionado navigating that same waterway. In a speedboat, the landmarks come and go much more quickly. In the kayak, it’s much easier to take in and savor the scenery…to imprint it in your mind.

Our multiple and ever expanding  “to do” lists become our speed boats. It’s a race to see how many items we can check off, so we can get on to the next and the next and the next….

Some of those items on our “to do” lists have a different level of importance than others. Some are landmarks; real achievements and accomplishments, such as publishing a book, finishing a challenging project, being nominated for an award, graduating, achieving the next fitness level, getting a high grade, breaking your previous record in sports.  They merit recognition and celebration, not just another check mark.

It’s important for adults to remember that. And it’s important that we adults remind our kids of that, for their speedboats will be moving even faster.

As we speed through the 21st century at an ever quickening pace,  the one certain way to slow things down and savor the journey is to plant our own landmarks and celebrate our successes.

What will you celebrate?