Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Chasing Life - 22nd August

Some people in the office read my first entry and appreciated. I also got a good comment on the blog itself. This is encouraging.

I had met Ajay Vaghani, a successful businessman on a flight, on the 11th of August. We got chatting and agreed to meet again. Yesterday we met over lunch.

He is reading Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life By Eugene O'Kelly . He was very touched by the book. The book is the story of the CEO of KPMG. Eugene O'Kelly suddenly discovers that he has just 3 months to live due to brain cancer. He leaves his job and revises his priorities.

According to him the life of O'Kelly teaches us that the time we spend enjoying our family, friends and moments with them are never wasted. If we are courageous we will not fear facing the end of our lives and leaving behind those we love.

The book is a about a successful workaholic taking a call and slowing down. He sits
down like an experienced chief executive (this time of his own life) and makes a list of all he has to do before he dies . The list includes the people with whom he wants to "unwind" his relationship. I read an excerpt on the net later which I reproduce....Really touching....

"The business of dying is hard. The wrapping up. The paperwork, the legal stuff. The stuff that's boring and maddening about life when life is going well. Of course, the other stuff that's happening when dying--the physical stuff and the huge emotional stuff--can be unspeakably awful. But if paperwork is enough to break your spirit--and it is--then how can you have anything left? Day by day, observing the medical practitioners and especially the patients, I started to understand."

O'Kelly still had the fortune to live 3 months, some of us may not be that lucky. Why not live a life where no relationship is wound up...Where all paper work is complete ! I will definitely make an effort.

Ajay also told me that he is writing a book of his own learning , born out of his own experiences which he wants to leave behind for his children. He says this is the best gift he can give his children and future generations. Great thinking Ajay everything else is perishable...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice to see that you have started your blog. The content is good and different and quite well written as well. Congratulations !

You have talked of compartmentalisation in your previous blog- this is emerging as a big concept for effectiveness in the modern world I think - In his autobiography "Out of my comfort zone" Steve Waugh has brought it alive quite well - some of his thoughts seem to be in the same vector as yours. For some one like u to give time to IMT, Alumni and actually write your own blog !! This is a great example of compartmentalisation Sir !
regards
Dev Amritesh ; IMT batch of 99

SunnyBlueSky said...

hi...welcome to blogging....looking forward to some interesting musings from you.

SunnyBlueSky said...

hi...welcome to blogging....looking forward to some interesting musings from you...

Bharat Diwaker
IMT Batch Y2K

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