Randy was 47 years old when he died, July 25, 2008, from pancreatic cancer, just months after delivering his famous “last lecture” at Carnegie Mellon University, where he taught computer science. That lecture, entitled The Elephant in the Room, began with him standing before a screen depicting in chilling detail the tumors in his liver. To his captive audience, he named that elephant as cancer, saying simply and stunningly, but not sadly. "I have about 6 months to live…. I'm really in good shape, probably better shape than most of you," and to prove his point, he dropped to the floor to do push-ups.
He went on to say, "I'm dying and I'm having fun, and I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left." For most of that last lecture, he talked not about dying, but about his childhood dreams and what they had taught him about life. He said, "If you live your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself ... your dreams will come to you."
That lecture, in book form so we can all hear it again and again, offers many wonderful life-lessons. To cite one that I am still working on: "The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something."
What about you? What life lessons have you learned from Randy Pausch, an Olympian, or another person in the race called life. Perhaps one whose legacy offers you some wisdom, passion, or another lasting source of inspiration?