In addition to finishing "A Thousand Splendid Suns," I also started and finished "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. For those of you who have not heard Randy's story, he was a wildly successful computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and, at age forty-six (I believe), he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given 3-6 months to live. "The Last Lecture" refers to his last lecture at CMU, given shortly after his diagnosis. The book ties in with the lecture itself, providing a little more background information and giving the lecture (which you can watch at thelastlecture.com) a narrative format.
Randy Pausch chose to live even as he died. He got his affairs in order, as they say, but he also made the most of every moment he had. He recorded his love for his children in words and in video of himself playing with them. He cemented his beautiful marriage. He made visible his philosophies on life, many of which occurred to him on the precipice of his death. At the heart of his philosophies is the importance of striving for and achieving childhood dreams. Perhaps more importantly, he describes the existential power in each of us to live full and realized lives.
I first found Randy Pausch this summer when a friend sent me a link to youtube videos of the actual "Last Lecture." The book is a lovely companion and a great reminder that it is never too late to dream big and to make those dreams reality.
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