" I have an engineering problem.
While the most part I'm in terrific shape , I have ten tumors in my liver and I have only a few months left to live."
These are the first lines of Randy Pausch's last book, "The Last Lecture". He recently passed away. If you haven't heard about him or his "Last Lecture", I highly recommend that you google him. He was a Computer Science Professor at Carnegie Mellon and died of pancreatic cancer. His "Last Lecture" is about achieving your childhood dreams. As sad as his story is, his video or his book (which I also recommend reading even if you saw his video) is phenomenal and it has nothing to do with his terminal illness or how he coped with it.
Although I want to keep writing about how startled I am with his attitude towards his situation or why I think his book is one of the best inspirational book I have ever read, this post is not about that. I want to have your attention on one thing and one thing only. It is about how he exercised;
First, one of the emphasis of the book is on seizing the moment as your time might be far less than you expect it to be. His situation sets a great example for this. He had a very limited time and he wanted to secure his family for after him and make sure he spent enough time with his three kids and his wife. This is, of course, is not very surprising, but what surprised me was the section where he said, he dictated his book during his bike ride around his neighborhood to get exercise that, again he claimed, is crucial for his health. He also said he dictated his book in fifty three rides. I couldn't help asking myself if I would keep on exercising if I knew I had a few months.
Second, in the beginning of his lecture, he says '.... I'm in better shape than most of the attendees here,,, " and starts doing push ups. For me, this sends a very powerful message. This guy obviously set his priorities straight. Being healthy or working for being healthy is not depended on other factors. He is choosing to be healthy and didn't seem to question it.
One more time, I am convinced that leaving a healthy life is not something you have to do for the right reasons. It is something you choose to do for the right reasons. It is a way of life, not a series of recurring tasks. If we can see exercising this way, we will be seizing the moment as we do it. Rest in peace Randy and my deepest condolences to his loved ones.
