When I was 25 years old, my father was killed by a driver who ran a red light while talking on her cell phone. His life was cut short before he was able to do all he'd set out to do (including watch his children start their careers and get married).
In November 2016, my brother discovered a list our dad wrote when he was 29. The title of the list: "Things I Would Like to Do in My Lifetime!" The first item: "I would like to live a long, healthy life at least to the year 2020." Because he was killed in 2003, this goal was rendered impossible.
But I believe that when you write down a goal, one way or another, it will be accomplished. As my brother and I read my father's list, we realized we'd already done a lot of it. And then my husband and I knew what I had to do.
I had to finish the list.
In the next few years, I will do everything in my power to make my dad's dreams a reality. And this is where I will document it.
There are 60 items on this list. My dad checked off five and marked one as having failed at. I plan to check off the remaining 54—and that includes the ones my brother and I have already done.
It could be a bumpy ride. But I hope you'll join me on the journey.
Laura Carney is a magazine copy editor, writer and illustrator who lives in Montclair, NJ. She copyedits for Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Conde Nast Traveler, People magazine, Forbes, Guideposts, G&D Media, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Books, Document Journal and Minnesota State College on a freelance basis and proofreads college textbooks, home decor books, novels and self-help books from time to time. She copyedited full-time for Good Housekeeping for seven years and for Redbook, Woman's Day and Dr. Oz for one. Laura has written for the Washington Post, The Hill, Good Housekeeping, Runner's World, the Associated Press, The Fix, Upworthy, OK! magazine, McSweeney’s, Monkeybicycle, Vagabondage Press, various trade magazines, Basket of Kisses and Fashion and Grammar Gripes.
She has worked to raise awareness as an advocate with the National Safety Council, End Distracted Driving, the Safe Roads Alliance, Families for Safe Streets NJ, Act to End Deadly Distractions, NCSR Road Safety Advocacy and the Road to Zero Coalition.
These days she raises awareness via her writing and as a marathon runner. E-mail her at laura@myfatherslist.com.
For press inquiries, please contact Beth Davey at Davey Literary & Media.
All content on this site was written by Laura Carney as she has been attempting to finish her latest project, My Father's List.