An inspirational man

Randy Pausch passed away last Friday. He had pancreatic cancer. I watched the original Diane Sawyer interview with him when it aired, and last night I watched it again with the update at the end of his passing. There was such a peace about him and his wife. He was strong and wanted to be sure to finish out his life to the fullest. I plan on buying the book "The Last Lecture" soon. There was something he said in the interview that really got to me. He said how the only part of him knowing he was going to die that still caused him to cry was when he talked about his children and wife. And it wasn't that he wasn't going to be around to see them grow up, it was that they were being deprived of him. He said that soon someone was going to push his family off a cliff, and he wouldnt' be there to catch them. All he could do for them was to try to build safety nets to save them. He could be angry and bitter, or he could get busy building the nets. So that is what he was doing. It is yet another reminder to me to cherish the small moments because they are what matter. Don't waste today worrying about tomorrow.

Here are a couple quotes from his famous "lecture"...

-Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day because there's no other way to play it.

-Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

-No one is pure evil. Find the best in everybody. Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you.

-Brick walls are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop people who don't want it badly enough.

-It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.

-We can't change the cards we're dealt, just how we play the hand. If I'm not as depressed as you think I should be, I'm sorry to disappoint you.