Last Lecture: A Celebration of Life

On July 29, 2008 I watched a Primetime ABC special called, "The Last Lecture: A Celebration of Life." Many of you have probably heard of the book that has recently gained popularity. It's about a professor from Carnegie Mellon University named Randy Pausch who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was given 6 months to live at the age of 47 (that age may be off by a few years). Anyway, he gave a final lecture before retiring from the University named "The Last Lecture" which has an ironic ring to it. You can watch the whole lecture on iTunes U by clicking on the link to your right called, "Really Acheiving Your Childhood Dreams."

Anyway, I'm sitting here at my home in Farmington waiting for my laundry to finish up so I can complete my packing. I'm heading back to Illinois for another year of grad school...my final year. Every year as the summer ends and the new school year begins "it always seems so strange when the leaves begin to change" (to borrow a line from Kid Rock's latest song "All Summer Long"). I have mixed emotions. It's nice to be at home for the summer and be surrounded by family, to be minutes away from any awesome hike I want to do, to really be home. But on the flip side I really look forward to getting back to school. I love what I'm studying. Sport Psychology is perfect for me. I like the challenge and the opportunity to grow. But it's always hard to leave home.

I remember when I graduated from high school and was preparing to leave for Ricks. It was only four hours away, but for me as a 18 year old it seemed like I was preparing to live on a whole new planet. I wrote a letter to a few friends and talked about what I would say if I were giving a last lecture. (This "last lecture idea I had read in a different book.) My ideas were supposed to convey heart felt emotions about how much my high school experience had meant to me. I thought at the time it was exactly what I wanted to say. However, if I were giving a "last lecture" today it would be quite different. I guess that speaks to the growth and change that takes place with time. So, if I were to outline my last lecture today it would hit these major points:

1. Never stop learning. (I think this is foremost in my mind because I've recently spent about a million dollars on car repairs and I've vowed to learn the ins and outs of automotive somehow so I can repair my own car- or at least know if the auto shop guys are ripping me off. )

2. Be in the present moment. (I always find myself thinking that when such and such happens I will be happy, or will have something to look forward to, but what about all those little moments that we can glean happiness from?)

3. Be aware of your emotions. They are a great tool for learning about why you think and act the way you do. That doesn't mean you should act on every emotion...just listen and question "why?"

4. Do something that you love to do...often.

5. Center your life around Jesus Christ and everything else will fall into place.

I'm sure I could come up with more to stretch out the boredom, but for now, these things are some important things I've learned and am still learning. I'm not perfect at any of these things, but I feel like I'm on the right track when I keep these in mind.