What Question Would Randy Pausch Have For You?

This morning as I checked my e-mail, I tried to access the homepage of Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University professor dying of pancreatic cancer. Professor Pausch, who had delivered "The Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon University, and later turned that lecture into a book with the same title, had not posted an update on his website since June 26th. This morning when I checked for an update on his health status I was unable to access his homepage. With a sinking feeling in my heart, I intuitively knew what this meant.

A short time ago I received an e-mail from my (former) brother-in-law, Ed saying simply; "Randy Pausch has died". I sat in stunned silence staring at my computer screen trying to process the impact of this news. Apparently Randy Pausch had died around the same time that I was attempting to check his homepage.

While I obviously did not know Randy Pausch personally, I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to know him through his lectures, his website, the TV specials about his life and most importantly his writing. The impact and legacy which he left the world is profound.

The following excerpt is taken from a May 3rd Wall Street Journal article written by Jeffrey Zaslow about Randy Pausch and his final farewell:

"Randy is thrilled that so many people are finding his lecture beneficial, and he hopes the book also will be a meaningful legacy for him. Still, all along, he kept reminding me that he was reaching into his heart, offering his life lessons, mostly to address an audience of three. "I'm attempting to put myself in a bottle that will one day wash up on the beach for my children," he said."

We all have the opportunity to put our legacy in a bottle that will wash up on the shores of the lives of those around us (our family, friends and even those who don't know us personally). What will you put in your bottle? Who is your audience?

What question would Randy Pausch have for you right now, in this moment, today?

If you would like to read more about Randy Pausch, you may find the following articles of interest:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120951287174854465.html?mod=ITPWSJ_20
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=4614281

I also encourage you to take the time to watch his "Last Lecture" if you haven't seen it yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo