I was talking to a neighboor who had just had her first baby.

(He was super-cute, by the way. Lots of hair.)

Anyhoo, it struck me, as we chatted, how completely huge this moment was for her. My kids seemed positively ancient y comparison (8 & 6) and I realized motherhood had sort of crept up on me. It was only as I heard hearing my friend say “we’re getting the hang of things” that I could look back and appreciate how completely my life changed the moment I carried that first baby through the front door.

There are so many moments in so many lives — Tiny things, big things, things missed — that change a life completely. The protagonist doesn’t  always appreciate the significance of the pivotal moment at the time. But short stories can highlight them beautifully.

Tell a story about a moment in which someone’s life changes (whether they know it now, or not)

Go!