Wednesday, May 5, 2010

We Cant Change the Cards..Only the Way We Play Them

Tuesday, 4 May 2010 was an interesting day…I was fortunate to have a great friend from North Carolina over and we spent many hours discussing my diagnosis, what is going on in my life and what is happening with mutual friends…I had another friend call and I had to deliver the news of my condition…and then I received an email about somebody named Dr. Randy Pausch.

I had heard the name but needed a refresher...who was this guy?

Dr. Pausch was featured throughout the internet and on CBS news back in 2007…he was the Carnegie Mellon University Professor who authored the book “The Last Lecture” – it was a monumental best seller and for those of you who are readers it is well worth reading! For those of you who are a bit more technically savvy (my Dad is not) there is a great video of his lecture on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&NR=1)

When you watch this video you are immediately drawn to how well this man who has less then 6 months to live actually looks. He is in great shape…and he is very cognizant of all that is going on around him. He is stellar speaker…and yes…he is dying.

One of his prime comments from his speech captured my attention:

"Almost all of us have childhood dreams; for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don’t achieve theirs, and I think that’s a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I’ve actually achieved most of them.”

After several moments of reflection…I looked back on these words and found comfort…comfort in the fact that I too had reached my childhood dreams and accomplished what I had set out to do…all of them.

The video was also a great overview of how people handle personal adversity; two groups of thought on this one…some people choose to ignore it while others address it head on. What can be taken from the video is the fact that adversity should not stand in the way of achieving your dreams...a great lesson for all.

I will soon head over to the High School for Senior Day...no it’s not an AARP event for retirees...Jake (and Ian) both have lacrosse games this evening and this will be Jakes final home game capping off a great season. His successes have motivated him for greater things in life – Ian has also seen this and no doubt will follow in his brother’s footsteps in lacrosse, Boy Scouts and then…off to college.

I have had the great pleasure of watching them grow as brothers as well as individuals over the past years and I could not be more pleased. As I discussed in previous postings they continue to make their parents proud.
Looking forward to a great afternoon!

Regards

Brian

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