My Last Lecture - For Today At Least!

My wife pointed out one of my annoying habits the other day.  She clued me in that I interview complete strangers regarding whether they like their job, what they like best about their job, and do they enjoy their employer or being self-employed.  Now usually when she points out an annoying habit I am defensive and start to stay – “no, I don’t do that!”  But, on this one she got me because I had just done it twice and she was present for one of the “interviews.”  Recently I was getting my blood drawn by a nice gentleman at a local clinic and I just really needed to know answers to the above questions.  What was it that compelled him to get up every day and push needles into people’s arms for 8 hours?  Could he really enjoy that?  By the way I got a pretty contented “It’s OK” from him.  A couple days later my wife and I went to look at a claw foot bathtub that a home flipper was selling.  The tub wasn’t that great, but we had an amazing 20-minute discussion about how he got started, why he does what he does, does he enjoy himself, how he makes money on his deals.  By the way, if you decide to take up this interviewing hobby you will be amazed at how much information people will share with you.   

If I psychoanalyze why I feel compelled to interview these strangers, it is because I constantly analyze in my own head whether what I do for a living makes a difference, is it fulfilling, does it make the world a better place, am I using my time wisely?   

A friend recently lent me a copy of a book called, “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch.  It is a story of an amazingly successful computer scientist who worked with virtual reality technology.  He was a college professor and his college asked its professors to give a “last lecture” where they imparted information, life lessons, and words of advice to students, as if it was their last lecture.  After being asked to give this lecture the author learned that his pancreatic cancer diagnosis was fatal and that he had just months to live.  He goes on to give the lecture and vividly explains the joy of life and of living each day to its fullest.  He tells a story in the book that he and his wife had to travel to another town to determine if one of his treatments had been successful.  They treated the trip as a vacation and went to a water park before the doctor’s appointment.  At the end of the day he told his wife: 

“Even if the scan results are bad tomorrow,” I had told her, “I just want you to know that it feels great to be alive, and to be here today, alive with you.  Whatever news we get about the scans, I’m not going to die when we hear it.  I won’t die the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that.  So today, right now, well this is a wonderful day.  And I want you to know how much I’m enjoying it.”  I knew then.  That’s the way the rest of my life would need to be lived. 

The next day he learned his treatment was unsuccessful and he had months to live.  Yet, he lived his remaining months at peace and with full satisfaction.   It made me start to think that perhaps WHAT I do may not be as important as WHO I get to work with, the environment I am part of, the impact that those I associate with at work have on me and the impact that I have on them. 

I am sure I will still keep interviewing strangers, but I do know that these experiences gave me stronger resolve to not waste my time with doubt, questions, or fear, but to realize how amazing this life is and how appreciative I am for getting to experience working with the folks at the City of Boise at this time. 

Have a great day.