Each chapter in this book is a short story. Each chapter is a life lesson that Randy Pausch wants to teach his kids. But in writing a book like this, Pausch is not only teaching his kids. He is teaching the world. For example, in one chapter he tells us about how he met his wife. Her name was Jai. She lived in North Carolina, he in Pittsburgh. They met each other at one of his lectures. Afterwards, they went out for drinks, and Randy fell for her, but the next morning, Randy had to fly back to Pittsburgh. It was the beginning of a long-distance relationship. But after the first few e-mails, when Randy offerred Jai his frequent flyer miles to travel to Pittsburgh where they could meet up, Jai said that she wasn’t interested in a long-ditance relationship. He was heartbroken. For nights he thought of what he should do. This was his brick wall. At the end of the chapter, there is a quote:
“Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”
After reading this, I felt so inspired that I started confronting my own brick walls. Randy, of course, eventually got Jai to realize how madly they were in love. She moved to Pittsburgh with him, and formed a family.
The simple things in life, that are easy to get, are the most the enjoyable. But the hardest things, are the most rewarding. I am glad to say that, I believe this book is changing my life.
The Last Lecture – maxwellb
What Brick walls are you overcoming?
There is this one thing that I feel has really restricted my ability to socialize, and thus i have not been doing it that much. It’s called a curfew. I’ve decided to, instead of thinking about how little time I have left, i’ll think about how much time i’ve got, and make the most of it.