For Kayleigh

It is Monday after a busy working weekend and I am wondering when I am ever going to find the time to complete my list, let alone do all 60 items when my year starts, but then I remember the way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time. I am working on the basis that if I get enough people following my progress and supporting me with ideas, suggestions and even volunteering to do things with me, I can't possibly fail; in fact, failure is not an option because my pride simply won't let me!

On a sad note, Merv flew to Brandon to attend his great niece Kayleigh's funeral on Saturday. Her untimely death on the Canada Day weekend in a car accident was part of my motivation to start this quest and make my own affirmation of life. Her funeral was apparently an amazing tribute to this young, talented 17 year old and over 1700 people were there to support the family and express their love and sorrow at her loss. I cannot help thinking how special a person she was to have touched so many people in such a short life span and hopefully her family can take comfort from knowing that. She will be missed.

So my list is growing slowly but surely. I have had many suggestions from friends and some I have adopted and others I have declined or put aside for another year. When I go through my list I am struck by some of the things I have not yet done in my (almost) 60 years. I have never been on a motorbike - even my 89 year old mother had been on a bike as a teenager! I have never climbed a tree, not even as a child. I have never made a Playlist for my Ipod. Why not? Because I don't know how! I refuse to be embarrassed by my failure to do these things because I am proving that I am still willing and able to try and besides, making this list has also shown me how much I have already done because it is so hard to come up with 60 new things!

So keep those ideas coming. I need lots of smaller, non life-threatening suggestions that can be done without huge investments of time or cash and that will bring fun and laughter to me and to those sharing the moments. Above all, I need your support and your participation to help make this a year to remember.

Stay tuned!