Books and Life

Even though I really have no time to read, I'm currently in the midst of four different books, all different. I'm still reading Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle - I find I have to do that in bits and pieces to digest everything, so it's taking me far longer than it "should." I'm also reading a book about science and religion (interesting from all sides, whether you believe in a higher power or not), and one other non-fiction book by A.J. Jacobs, The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. I'll talk more about that one another time, as I've just started it, and I've already got a whole bunch of new words.

The book that's captivating me now in Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture (cowritten with Jeffrey Zaslow). For those of you who haven't heard about it, this book came about from a lecture Pausch gave at Carnegie Mellon's "Last Lecture" series, entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Many have given a so-called "last lecture" but Randy's really is - he was recently diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He wrote the book (with assistance) to further expand on those thoughts, even though it took time away from his family. One reason he gave for writing the book is so that his kids (6, 4, and 18 months, give or take) will have something else of him.

This book is so bittersweet. Randy doesn't seem angry. He often only mentions the cancer in passing - although he likes to call it the "elephant in the room." But, the thing that's really getting me, is that he's continuing to lead his life as he always has. He's just become more vocal about how to do it, and what you should do.

But really, what I wanted to talk about was a chapter of his that talked about his views about what college is/should be. He makes a statement that many people today look at college as a consumer - they pay some money, they expect a result, similar to buying a shirt or a car. He argues, however, that while it is a consumer product, it's more akin to paying for a personal trainer - you don't give a personal trainer money and *poof* you're in shape (no matter how much we might wish for that to happen). You give a personal trainer money to assist you in reaching your goals. The same could be said of college.

I think that's something that a lot of people forget. College (or any education) doesn't give you something for nothing, or something for just a bunch of money. Yes, you pay for it and should expect certain things from it, but you also have to work for it. Just paying for it is only the start. It's a collaborative effort.

There's lots of other things in the book that are wonderful and beautiful. And Randy is also not shy about mentioning his faults - that he can be arrogant and a jerk. I think one thing this books shows is that we ALL have something of value to share with the world. We just don't all know how to do it.

Swim log: 900 yards! Best day since I started again. Got inspired by Sarah telling me that she gets motivated using the "Denise" method, where I encouraged her to push herself on the treadmill. I figured I should follow my own advice, but I also realize that I'm a much better coach than athlete.