# 85

Some time ago my friend posted a sort of "bucket list" on her blog. #85 on the list was to hike the Y, something that I was shocked to learn that she and her husband hadn't ever done, and they grew up here! She and I had talked about it back when she'd posted it, that when she was ready to do it, we'd love to go with her. Time is blurred to me right now, and I can't remember if she wrote her bucket list before or after Naki died...hmmm...weird how that happens. We finally decided it was time to stop talking about doing it and just go do it. The timing couldn't have been better. The Saturday that fit into both of our schedules turned out to be the 23rd of October, a date I'm not terribly fond of, since Naki was buried on that date. But I knew that accomplishing something great on that day would help replace all those negative emotions with some positive ones instead.

Hiking the Y for me has nothing but positive Naki memories. I will never forget the images I have in my memory of him doing something that was hard for him but he did it anyway. Having the extra knowledge now about how his heart was actually functioning makes it even more unbelievable. He has set a fantastic standard for me, and so as I imagined carrying Ane on my back and convincing Eva to hike all the way up for her first time by herself, he was my inspiration. Don't be fooled by the pictures with Eva smiling. I didn't even realize she smiled! My memories of Eva during the hike were not of a smiling girlie...although I guess these pics were taken at the beginning and the end. It helped me to not freak out at Eva, knowing that the Jordans were being so sweet and so patient with us. I'm positive that it could have been a much smoother experience for them, had we not been there. Let's be honest. Almost every person we come in contact with would have an easier experience were we not there. But the Jordans welcomed us with open arms, and even though this hike was about Cyndi's #85, by allowing us to come along it helped me to create a new and much more positive experience to connect with October 23rd. Thanks so very much for allowing us to hike with you, Jordan family!