I went to a Border’s bookstore today, which had put “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch’s book on special display. I had already watched his popular “Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” Youtube video many months ago and watched the Diane Sawyer interview with my wife, so I was familiar with his story and the great message he had. I didn’t know there was a book, so I picked it up and immediately opened it to chapter 49, “Get in Touch with Your Crayon Box,” where he wrote:

People who know me sometimes complain that I see things in black or white.

In fact, one of my colleagues would tell people: “Go to Randy if you want black-and-white advice. But if you want gray advice, he’s not the guy.”

…

As I’ve gotten older, though, I’ve leaned to appreciate that a good crayon box might have more than two colors. But I still think that if you run your life the right way, you’ll wear out the black and the white before the more nuanced colors.

Needless to say, I bought the book, went home, and immediately read the entire thing. It’s really great, and I think a lot of people would do well to read it. Randy Pausch really was a great example of someone with a wonderful sense of life, and seeing his attitude towards situation is a great source of inspiration. The beginning of the introduction to the book almost says it all:

I have an engineering problem.

While for the most part I’m in terrific physical shape, I have ten tumors in my liver and I have only a few months left to live.

I am a father of three young children, and married to the woman of my dreams. While I could easily feel sorry for myself, that wouldn’t do them, or me, any good.

So, how to spend my very limited time?

After reading his book, I can say that I really like his answer.