The Last Lecture....Goodbye Randy Pausch!

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to watch "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, please, please, please set aside a few minutes to watch it. What an amazing man! Randy was a college professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy passed away on July 25, 2008 due to complications from Pancreatic Cancer. There was a special on Prime time with Diane Sawyer tonight that told his story and honored him so well! I only made it about 5 minutes into the show til I was in tears. He has so many things that he taught about and also lived by! His big thing he talks about is making the most out of every situation be it good or bad. One thing he talks about in his lecture is to decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore. :)

Obviously, that needs no explanation. He also says that if he could only give 3 words of advice, it would be.... "Tell the truth!" And if he had 3 more words, "All the time". He also talks about fearlessness. One of his students tells a story about an assignment that he had given and they approached them with two of their ideas and explained to him that one was "safe" and the other was "risky". Of course, Randy said, "Go for the Risk! It is better to fail spectacularly than to do something that is "mediocre". He also talks about the sadness he does get when he thinks about his kids. Not the fact that he won't be there with them, but that they won't have him. He then refer to a metaphor by saying, "My family is gonna be pushed off a cliff real soon, and I'm not gonna be there to catch them. And that breaks my heart. But I have some time to make some nets to cushion the fall. He tells Diane S. that he has spent a lot of time researching what of his life he should leave. Sort of like a message in a bottle. He made many videos and such for the children to remember him by. He was so laid back and easy going. His niece and nephew talk about a time they were visiting at his home and had just got a brand new car, and to explain to them how unimportant certain things are, he opened a can of coke and poured it all of the seats of his car.

One of Randy's all time dreams was to play professional football. Well, about a month before he passed away, he was able to go play on the field with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was running and catching balls left and right. What an amazing person! He makes me want to live my life so much fuller and only concentrate on the good and happy things!

At the end of the interview he says, "I've played in football games where you walk off the field and the scoreboard didn't end up the way you wanted, but you knew that you really did give it all! And the other team was too strong."

Wow! I'm sobbing all over again just writing this! You know, we have had some devastating circumstances with family and friends the last few months and listening to Randy makes me want to really make more of each day that I am happy, healthy and have an amazing family! We just can't take life for granted. One of my favorite quotes that I have on my wall in my home is "Nothing means more than this day! ". I know that to be so true and I think that is what Randy wanted everyone to know as well. He said over and over, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just the way we play the hand.

He has truly been an inspiration to me. I have found so much peace just by listening to him. What a giant of a man!! He will be missed!

You can purchase his book, "The Last Lecture" at most bookstores. Please also take the time to watch his lecture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9ya9BXClRw