I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I’ve survived so long.
I’m in good condition, living alone since Wendy's death. I gave up driving a few months ago, on the principle of ‘quit while ahead’ — i.e. before I harmed others and myself, driving with judgement impaired, as tell-tale dents and scratches on my car’s body-work revealed. I rely on family and a weekly ‘personal care worker’ to ferry me hither and yon, and this is working well. If I develop any distressing irreversible ailments, it’s comforting to know we have a system in this enlightened country of Canada, akin to those of Switzerland, Holland and Belgium. But I hope I won’t have to make use of this, that a gentle, natural exit from this life awaits me at some future unspecified time. Meantime, I’ll plod on, making the best of things as I cope with a dozen or more chronic disabilities, all minor and endurable.
This morning the phone has run red hot, and my email inbox is stuffed with greetings from Oz, NZ, Europe, UK, USA and Canada.
You deserve all the messages you received, so many people are grateful for all the guidance and support that you have given us over the years. I can surely speak for my family. In 1987 you sent me on my life-changing trip of discovery, then my brother had the chance to do it and 28 years later my daughter Esmeralda also benefited from your network in Australia. John, you have to stick around to, as you say it, also "corrupt" the minds of my grandchildren!
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