It’s frightening and really difficult to talk about, so I’ve decided to write about it. It’s death. Or rather living. When you look at it as “living your life”, the topic becomes less scary and much more inspiring. The most inspiring man I know is Randy Pausch. He is one of my CMU professors, as well as a married father of three. To put it rather bluntly, he is dying. He has pancreatic cancer and has been given just months to live. However, this post isn’t about death and it isn’t about cancer. It’s about life. It’s about living. It’s about living your life to the fullest and looking back with no regrets - realizing the biggest regrets are not of things you did, but things you didn’t do. And it’s about how his recent appearance on the Oprah show brought me to tears, literally.
(His speech is in the first 10 minutes of the show.)
I feel honored to know him and blessed to have been taught by him as a graduate student. Saying that I admire him is quite an understatement. Randy Pausch has inspired me with not just his words, but with the way he has chosen to live his life. So yes, Oprah made me cry, or rather Dr. Pausch’s “Last Lecture” Reprise did. It is a little embarrassing to admit I actually watched an episode of Oprah, let alone cried during it. However, I’m willing to let the world know my professor brought me to tears in hopes that it will reinforce just how important his speech is to hear. What a profound impact it had, not just on me, but by the millions of people who have now heard it. It’s literally life changing and I feel it’s imperative that I share it with you.
When I think of Dr. Pausch, I think of someone that delivers valuable, powerful lessons in the simplest of terms. “Brick walls are there for a reason, they let us prove how badly we want things.” “If you live your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, and the dreams will come to you.” I love his outlook on so many things and find myself being able to relate to him on so many different levels, like when he suggested that parents should let their kids paint on the walls. His parents allowed him to express his creativity, drawing whatever he wanted on his bedroom walls. I would have loved if my parents would have given me permission to do that! Growing up, I told myself that one day when I have kids, I would paint their bedroom walls with chalkboard paint. So in the middle of the night when they brainstorm up the cure for AIDS and cancer, they will have somewhere to jot down the algorithm. Or if they just need a creative outlet to scribble a silly face, that would be ok by me too.
Pull out the fine China tonight and eat your grilled cheese sandwich on it. Slip into an outfit you have stashed in the back of your closet, saving for a special occasion. Toss around that autographed NFL football that is encased in an air-tight display case. What are you waiting for? Live today because you never know if you will be around tomorrow to enjoy life's simple joys.
Leonardo da Vinci once said “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.” It’s a beautiful sentiment and a very famous quote from one of the world’s most historic figures. Although, a message attached to a framed family photo resides with me stronger. It rests on the mantle of my fireplace, etched are the words…“Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often.”
Nothing could be more true and I think the good professor would agree.
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