The Rest of the Story

Here goes. Chapter one of my life began as most lives do, with my birth on Nov 14/1955. The next almost 52 years(holy cow!) in many respects flew by. I however learned many things and became a very special person. I was reasonably educated, naturally gifted, learned something about everything, knew everything about everybody, had an opinion on everything, developed my listening skills, became a good leader, a good partner and father, a great tool and die maker, became a model of health and fitness, both physically and emotionally, became the envy of all of my siblings & a pride to my parents, made lots of money & spent it wisely, learned to understand the cosmos and the greater powers that exist. I learned to be respectful and kind to all those around me, always looking for the best in people, and never being jealous, envious or obtuse with my friends and family. Above all else I learned to be considerate of others opinions and learned how to gracefully admit when I was wrong.Above all this and most importantly I also developed a great humility unsurpassed by none.

Chapter 2 began on Sept 18/2007 when I learned that I didn't know shit about nothing! And yes Cory I Know that thats a double negative, but the point is I got my comeuppance(is that a word?) Of course those that know something about my life know that that was the day I received a diagnosis of cancer. All of chapter 2 then was about fianlly learning something useful. I learned more in that year then in all of the 52 chapter one years. I am totally, completely, unequivocably convinced that I did not die simply because I still had so much to learn. I had spent all my life trying to be a good man and succeeding only moderately. I'm still not much humbler, but maybe a little bit more realistic. I know one thing. I will never stop learning again, and the key to that is to recognize how little one knows already.

So chapter 3 begins with a commitment to learn more about myself. Specifically I want to find out where my limits are, or rather push my limits to a new level as I also believe there really are no limits. Towards that end, chapter 3 will end on Aug 30/2009, when I complete Ironman Canada in Penticton B.C. For those of you not completely familiar with this, it is an endurance event comprised of a 3.8 km swim, followed by a 180 km bike ride, and culminating in a full marathon of 42.2 km. The hope I have of my family and friends is that when I complete it they will acknowledge that even though he may still be an idiot, he is a stubborn idiot! I also ask for encouragement in the form of never letting me off the hook. My intent with this blog is to make a public statement about my dream in the hopes that you will hold me to it. An important aspect of my preperation over the next year will be to stay focused and never let my training go into a lull. That is why I intend on posting something on here each and every day of chapter 3.

Thanks for sharing in my dream. I dedicate day 2 to my sister Teresa, who knows more than me. I hope you enjoy my web log.
More tomorrow as promised.

peter