About Living!

The story of Prof. Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture) is not so much about death, as living. Did you think about that? You probably know that Prof. Pausch died last week, having lived longer than his medics had forecast.

Randy was in very good condition physically though his body was being consumed by cancer. So, he was able to play with his children and even played informal football on invitation from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He and his wife chose a new home where she and their three young children would continue living. We saw film clips of him enjoying his last days to the max.

When my own father was dying, he talked about sitting in the backyard eating a peanut butter sandwich. Well, even then, at age 22, I figured it out that the time to do those enjoyable, simple things is when you are still well!

Now that I am a senior, I try to live each day – not crammed with major events – but with simple, ordinary enjoyment. Reaching out to people who are sick, keeping in touch with those far away, and the possibly the hardest for all of us: forgiving those who have offended me in any way are everyday goals. I try to see great-granddaughter, Ava, as often as her parents’ schedule allows because she is just pure joy to me. I go “cropping” every week – Scrapbooking is so calming for me. My biggest blessing, of course, is my Hubby and we do almost everything together!

My friend (of 48 years) died in January. In September she had a stroke and was not able to communicate well over those months. But she had lived every day to the full and was always reaching out to those who needed attention. She was an animal lover and they were a cause for her. Her family was everything to her and she mothered them always. Fortunately for me, we had lunch at the Pickle Barrel in Toronto last July and we always kept in touch via e-mail. One of the nicest phrases I heard from her husband was his calling me, “her OLD friend”. So, unlike Randy Pausch, she was not able to make plans or tell people she loved them. But, she had done that all her life!

You can watch Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture on YouTube.com and his book is currently at the top of the bestseller lists. These are musts for all of us to see and read.

What you get out of this, hopefully, will be that every day we live is a precious gift and we must remember that tomorrow is promised to no one.

Go to YouTube.com for:

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams