When I started writing this post (over the weekend), I was really, really angry. So angry that I logged in and started typing furiously. But I didn’t get to complete it right away. And I’m so glad. Because now it’s a different post.

Let me explain.

I started out angry because it was Saturday. And I was deep in the throes of collegiate basketball on tv. Just pure excitement. On Saturday night, one of the ‘big ones’ was on. UNC vs. Duke. (Some of you may have heard...) While I’m a true-blue-purple&gold fan most of the time, this is by far one of the matchups I look forward to. And in primetime? It doesn’t get much better.

But this game was different. Because despite the excitement of the fans in the arena, there was a big black cloud. Because despite the excitement of the fans in the arena, there was a moment of silence for Eve Carson, student body president, who had been murdered days before.

To make things worse, I had just found out that my niece was a high-school classmate of Lauren Burk, another college student who had been murdered within hours of Eve Carson. And my niece was driving in from college to attend her memorial.

So yes, I was angry. Angry at the thug mentality that prevails on the streets and makes anyone and everyone fair game whether they have $10 or $10,000 on them.

The post was ugly, and angry, and unlike what, and who, I usually am. It sat in my drafts until today.

Today, when I finally found some time to open up my drafts and possibly hit the ‘publish’ button, I felt a little better.

I’m still angry. I’m still mad as hell. But I received an e-mail earlier today. And it’s one that I had received previously. I started to delete it, but knowing what it was, I decided it might be a good idea to take a second look.

I’m so glad I did. I don’t know how many of you have had the opportunity to view this in the past. But it’s worth a look. Or a second look if you were lucky enough to see it the first time around. More importantly, it’s worth a listen.

After I listened to his lecture again, I searched the internet to see if I could get an update on Gary Pausch’s health. And I truly expected to find that he had died. But he hasn’t.

He is still fighting.

This weekend, I read an article about how your attitude — whether you face life in a negative or a positive manner — has an incredible impact on longevity. I’ve always been a big believer in this, and more and more research is backing up what I have always believed to be true. And the man that delivered his ‘last lecture’ is a testament to that belief.

So instead of this being an angry post, it’s one filled with hope. Hope that everyone realizes that life is full of the unexpected. You never know if you’re going to be the next Eve, Lauren, or Gary.

I’ve always wondered if I wanted to know when I was going to die. Frankly, I still don’t know the answer to that. But I do know this. We are all going to go. Somehow. Someday.

And we need to live each day a little more fully for that reason.