“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
– Mae West
I don’t blame you if you had to scratch your head and wonder what or who on earth is YOLO. The acronym has been around since 1993 and stands for You Only Live Once. Once social media and the music industry got hold of it in 2011, it became a household expression and a mantra for many. Though many may be inclined to follow this and live as if there was no tomorrow, I came across something the other day that made me pause and think:
“You only live once?
False.
You live everyday.
You only die once.“
Dwight Schrute from The Office*
If you grew up in a conservative and restrictive environment like I did, once you get that taste of freedom it’s like getting drunk on a magical elixir for the soul. You suddenly want to break free, taste and do everything that crosses your path with YOLO constantly on your mind and a devil-may-care attitude; break the rules, ignore common sense, and live life on the fast lane. This can lead to a lot of stupid mistakes and disastrous decisions, and may probably be fine for your youth but as you age, reality slaps you squarely across the face twice over and teaches you all about perspective, the wisdom of restraint, and being kind to yourself.
The true elixir of life is living each day to the fullest, getting up every morning to start afresh, enjoy the drama of the clouds, the ethereal beauty of the sun in all its manifestations, the delightful moment of connecting with your pets, and hearing the voice of someone you care for. We get to do this over and over for as long as we choose life, choose to nurture our soul, and if things get messy, then we get to wipe the slate clean and start over the next day. Life doesn’t end just because you stumbled and fell, or took a wrong turn.
But death? It only happens once and you never return and pick up where you left off. Let’s not get into a debate about the afterlife and reincarnation please. This is all about living in the present, looking forward to the next day. We are blessed with the ability to change courses when we need to, reinvent ourselves after a traumatic experience, and make up for lost time.
* The quote has been adopted and rephrased by so many people but it is attributed primarily to the fictional character Dwight Schrute from The Office.
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