“What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?”
Get a tissue. In fact, get a whole box. Sit on the couch and read this book. There will be tears blurring your vision, making the printed words swim before your eyes and then falling down your cheeks. Your nose will run and the snot will drip into your mouth. Your face will turn that unattractive shade of red that happens when you cry but it will not matter to you. Reading this will matter.
Randy Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given three to six months of good health. He would leave behind a family he loved very much – a wife and three little children. In amongst making arrangements to care for his family, drinking in his last times with his wife and kids and medical care, he wrote and delivered his last lecture. It is the summation of what he had come to believe – reaching childhood dreams, overcoming obstacles, enabling the dreams of others and enjoying life. It is about, in what he describes as the first head fake, how to live your life. And, the second head fake, it is an enduring letter to his wife and children about who he was, what he believed, what he did and how much he loved them.
No matter what you believe, the prospect of dying and leaving your grieving loved ones behind to go on without you is terrifying. Reading the last thoughts of a dying man might appear to be a depressing way to spend your time. But, actually, its not. It is most definitely sad as all loss is sad. But, in a strange, almost inexplicably way, it is uplifting too. There is a sense of optimism and a zest for life that runs through Randy’s words and this is inspiring. It inspires you to live your own life in a meaningful way. It inspires you to love deeply and love well because our relationships bring us the most joy. It inspires you to dream, to leap, to do things. And it inspires you to look for the good always. Your optimism won’t be the same, your beliefs won’t be the same, your dreams won’t be the same. His point is not to make you the same. His point is to encourage you to go out and have a life full of your own ups and downs, your own obstacles and triumphs, your own faith, hope and love.