Several years ago, the wife of a nationally known DJ was killed in a car accident near where I live. I had listened to this DJ for months preceding his wife’s death and heard him banter with her about things common in all our lives. When she died, I could almost feel his pain. I felt like a friend had died. Soon, though, the DJ brought me back to reality by snapping at his audience to leave him alone. He revealed that his personality on the radio was just that “a personality” and we, his audience, knew him no better than someone we passed in the grocery store.
Fast forward to the present day. Over the past months, I have been aware of Randy Pausch and his battle with cancer. I watched his lecture, read his book and even kept myself updated through his blog. As the weeks went on and he remained strong, I became hopeful this extraordinary man would defeat his cancer. Sadly, though, Randy Pausch was not superman. He was simply a man with the gift of speech and inspiration who used his last days to give back.
As with the DJ and his wife, I felt as if I knew Randy and his wife, Jai. But did we really know Randy? Were his inspiring speeches “a personality”? Did he somehow find the inner strength to be positive for his children and us only to breakdown quietly to Jai? I may never know because, in reality, I didn’t know this man. He gave me a gift, though. He gave me the encouragement give back in the face of adversity. I’ll tuck that wisdom down inside and hope I have the strength to recall it as needed.
Thanks Randy. Rest in peace.
