The Last Lecture

The end of the year brings with it a sense of reflection for me, and in years past this reflection has been a struggle. As I looked back on my year I saw goals I had set that I hadn’t achieved. I was missing all the marks on my own expectations. Time was moving and I felt late – for everything. I would do my best to dodge an downward emotional spiral. Sometimes I was successful. My greatest source of inspiration when it came to these dark nights was the advice I received from older and wiser individuals. Most likely this advice came from tap dancers who were very clearly my senior. Men and women in their 70s and 80s who had lived long lives and were now reflecting on the whole thing.

Maybe this is why I enjoy reading biographies, especially those with a sense of context and derived meaning from the recounted adventures. And there was Randy Pausch’s (wikipedia) tiny and intriguingly titled book: The Last Lecture. The back story here is that Randy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and had been given an opportunity to present one last lecture. In beautifully simple passages Randy provided a testament of universal truths that he’s found over the course of his life. Randy’s personality comes through the words as one who, in the midst of what for some would be a debilitating situation, was still searching for the joy he could share, and more poignantly how he could best care for those he loved. The love he exudes through the book is deeply moving.

While advice books are generally good, I am continually struck by what it might have been like to put myself to the task of writing my own last lecture. There are so many possible things to say. Randy chose to share wisdom, and I’m thankful for that.