Last Lecture

I"ve been thinking of a topic to write about this week and there really isn't anything new going on that hasn't already been covered.  My morning routine includes booting my computer and then logging on site chat, email, and firefox.  Then I do a quick check of my regular web link stops.  On Fark.com this morning I ran across this title,"Rapidly Dying 47-Year-Old Professor Gives Exuberant ‘Last Lecture’"  Curious, I clicked and played the video.  Ignoring the reporter who was talking about this particular individual and paid more attention to the actual lecture.

The video was not long, as it was a news report on the individual instead of the actual lecture, there were some key points that the lecturer made that made an impression on me.  One of the big ones was that the brick walls that we may run into during the course of our lives is not to stop us from obtaining some goal or dream but to keep out those who don't want it bad enough and forces us to determine how badly do we want to achieve that goal or dream?  Think about that.  Do you give up when you run across an obstacle in your path and turn around?  Or do you look at the obstacle as a challenge to overcome?

I have been blessed in that I have seen one of my dreams to fulfillment.  I had always wanted my own horse as a young girl.  I often dreamed of riding on a black Arabian stallion along the beach.  Sound familiar?  Anyone who has read Walter Farley books will recognize "The Black Stallion" storyline.  My parents couldn't afford a horse and we were not in an area where we could have one.  So that dream was put on hold.  I finally put the wheels in motion and bought my own five acre piece of land, set up shop and bought a horse.  I would love to be able to have a large enough tract of land to have horses again, but it is not to be right now.  But, I don't let it stop me from riding and learning.  I have gone back to school and move towards another goal.

We can't let brick walls stop us from going forward in our lives.  There are many examples of people in this community who do not let the brick walls stop them.  JollyRoger is a fine example.  He and his family are an inspiration in moving around obstacles. 

Think about what you would tell people if you had one more lecture to give.  Would you be able to say you did what you could and were happy with your attempts or would you be angry because you ran into a brick wall and didn't try to move forward?  The other thing I would like to point out about this particular lecturer, if you don't watch the video, is that he has pancreatic cancer and has been given only a few more weeks or a couple of months to live.  Yet, looking at him and listening, you would never know.

Keep on Go!