31 tasks

Reaching The Mid-List Point

The spark of an idea had now flared and suggestions were coming in thick and fast, combined with more moments of “Perhaps I should…” and “I’ve always wanted to…”

A more cerebral addition to the list comes in the form of literature.  I think I’m fairly well read, which is probably more than can be said for these posts, but there plenty of books which would surely improve my awareness of the world, my knowledge or my ability to string together a…coherent…you know.  So I added some structure to the task of Read – finish (because we all have those books which we only start) three works of literature recommended by people who know me well enough to point me in the right direction.

There followed a task so staggeringly simple I had previously overlooked it.  But the fact is that I have never baked a cake.  Biscuits, yes.  Pies, yes.  Cake, no.  I’m partial to fruit cake so that gives us the Cake task - bake a fruit cake.  But actually there needs to more of a challenge, so in order to consider this task complete it needs a seal of approval.  The cake will go to work with me and only if three carefully chosen people deem it to be ‘a good fruit cake’ will it pass the test.  They are people whose cakes I have enjoyed in the past.  My choice presents me with a difficult task, but at least the decision over success or failure will be unequivocal.  I choose my friends from work Charlotte, Chris and Margaret.

Crumbs: There's something missing here too. But in a good way.

This allows me to segue neatly into Fish, suggested by Charlotte.  Catch a fish, cook it and eat it.  This conveniently combines the personal unknown (I have never been fishing) with a known enjoyable activity: consuming a fine fish course.  All aspects must be covered for the task to be complete, but I’m assuming that the catching part will the hardest task…

This leaves us veering towards the frivolous side I had been trying avoid, so the next task is more praiseworthy: Contact – make the effort to get in touch with 10 people, either new friends or those with whom I have lazily lost contact.  And to make it harder, I should still be in touch at the end of the year, making this a task whose status as complete could ebb and flow, with no real closure until November.