We only die once

Do we only live once? No, we only die once.

The first time we live is when we are born. We did not decide to be born – our parents wanted and, as in most of the situations, because they loved each other and wanted to love more, to open their lives to broaden ways of loving, they decided we should be born.

It is strange, though, that we are born and die on our own premises. We cannot ask or buy the services from another individual to be born or to die on our behalf. But throughout life we also cannot do everything alone – we need other people along the way. People who join us, those that we need and care for, those who stay forever, and those that somewhere follow different ways – we all know it is the way it is. It’s always bittersweet, always!

So, after we are born for the first and more tangible way, we start our journey.

Then we start crawling and then walking and talking – that’s the epilogue of our first birth.

After certain years we can to school. It’s such an impactful experience that I like to think back then and see how I was born for the second time. A new world of learnings, experiences, friends, wins and losses, successes, and failures, growing and getting the ground learnings for the future ahead.

I could go on win this but I’m sure you already got the picture.

Our first job is also like being born again. The same applies when we leave our parents’ home “to start a new life”. Then, we usually add someone to our lives: a partner, a lover, a husband, or a wife. A new life begins also. Then, if and when the kids come, it’s also a new beginning. Even if we break up and have a new partner (or several), we always have the feeling that we are being born to life again.

When we travel to discover the unknown and to experience different cultures, different landscapes, different smells, flavors and views, using our 5 senses, we are letting ourselves have new forms of life.

Our new job (there are barely lifetime jobs now and, to be honest, most of us don’t want them to be like that, as we all like changes no matter how much they can take us away from our comfort zone) is also a new opportunity to start over again, to do things differently, for the good and the better.

Every time and every new opportunity that challenges our limits, expands our social and technical skills, and sets greater boundaries to our lives, is like being born again: we open our eyes, embrace the unknown, deal with our fears, experiment, ask for help, learn with the others (the good and the less good), fall, rise up again, taste the good and the bad, get stronger to deal with adversities, also get sweeter when sharing the success, being more open and transparent, learning how to be grateful to life and to those who helped us, ready to share our experiences with new colleagues and with our family and friends, learning how to let it go, getting prepared to experience the serenity of seniority.

These – and others – are all living proofs that we can be born and reborn several times during our temporary lifetime. It's just a matter of our own willingness to act and our courage to dare go and get it.

So, to conclude, it’s not true that we only live once: we only die once! In the meantime, live and let live, enjoy the journey and experiment, be authentic and passionate with life. It is a gift and like many other gifts, its value is only truly appreciated too late.