Last night I caught the second half of a documentary on Dateline about a man named Randy Pausch who is dying of Pancreatic cancer. He is only 47 years old and he has three children under the age of 7. He is a famous professor at Carnegie Melon University and he gave a speech this past fall after he was told that he had 3-6 months to live. His speech was entitled The Last Lecture. He spoke about all of the important lessons he has learned in his life. At the end of the 76 minute lecture (which you can find on YouTube if you are interested in watching it), he told the audience that his lecture wasn't for them, it was for his kids.
I was in tears at the end because as a parent, I can't imagine facing death at such a young age and knowing that my young children would grow up without one parent and possibly not even remember me. The thing that made him so inspirational, though, is his positive outlook on life, even in these circumstances. He said that you can either choose to live your life as a Tigger, or you can choose to live it as an Eyeore. He encouraged people to never loose their childhood wonder and enthusiasm.
As depressing as it was to watch, it reminds me to always remember what is important in life.
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4 comments:
I've seen that guy! He truly is inspirational.
I watched that episode too- it was so sad!
You're absolutely right, Jacque. Life makes a lot of strange turns, unfortunately some for the worse. The one positive thing that came from my father's death, is that I learned that life is far too short ... live it to the fullest, and as cliche as it sounds, live every day like it's the last. What's the point in living, if you're not laughing =)
:) SO nice to see Brian comment on my blog! Nice to hear from a member of the opposite sex on here for a change! :) I have to say that Brian is speaking the truth because he always seems to be enjoying himself in life.
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