Don't Wait

I waited too long to get to know Randy Pausch. I'd been forwarded links to his talk, The Last Lecture many times over the last 10 months or so, and watched the first few minutes before moving on. An hour and 16 minutes just seemed like a long time to focus.

I watched it Monday, in the wake of his death, as well as his presentation on Time Management, which is also a strong topic for a dying man to discuss.

Now, I never would have met Randy had I seen these earlier. I wouldn't have wanted to waste his time, for one thing. That's not the point. The point is, why did I wait? Hearing his lecture would have been useful 10 months ago.

Its amazing how many things we decide are more important than others. How many times did I spend 76 minutes watching a ballgame (on the internet, no less), or reading meaningless articles on Slate or Rotten Tomatoes? I decided Randy's lecture was too much to deal with - too hard to make time for - much like the unread books in the shelf by my desk.

Randy was not unique in the fact that he was dying, just in the fact that he had a better grasp of it. He could have died in a car accident 6 months ago, however, just like you or me. We are all dying, every day. What Randy says, among other things, and what I hope to remember, is that every day we are also living - if we so choose.