what if?

what if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness and had 3 months left to live?
what would you do with those precious few months?
how would you carry out your personal life?
how would you treat total strangers you met on the street?

would you stop and help the little old lady at the grocery store who couldn't walk fast?
would you be kinder to your pesky sibling?
would you treat your crazy relatives with more love?
would you tell your family you loved them more?

i felt so many different emotions last night as i was reading a new book i purchased called, "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch.

i highly recommend this book to anyone who suffers, who has a bad attitude, who feels like their life isn't exciting, and so on.  this book is for everyone!

i'm about 3/4 done with this book now, but i am so excited to go home and finish it up this weekend.

some of the quotes i loved and highlighted in my book last night:

* * * 

"We can’t change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. If I’m not as depressed as you think I should be, I’m sorry to disappoint you"

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

"Don’t complain, Just work harder. [showing picture on screen] That’s a picture of Jackie Robinson. It was in his contract not to complain, even when the fans spit on him. You can spend it complaining or playing the game hard. The latter is likely to be more effective."what are YOU going to do differently today?

"Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I’m dying and I’m having fun. And I’m going to keep having fun every day, because there’s no other way to play it….Having fun for me is like a fish talking about the importance of water. I don’t know how it is like not to have fun…"

"Be good at something; it makes you valuable…. Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome"

* * *

last night i felt a sense of urgency to change the way i'm living.  to live my life as if i had a terminal disease.  i can tell you that i'm thinking of ways to better myself.  i feel like i have so much to accomplish and do.  i feel a new sense of self worth.  i know who i am and know that i need to be a better version of me.

if i only had 3 months left to live, what would i do differently?

that is the question i asked myself when i first woke up this morning.