OPINION COLUMN #19
To my wise sister Sara
We all live our lives for the first time.
My wake-up call of the day.
It’s obvious, a cliché, an undeniable truth. Yet, it shines like a balm for my urge. Like a revelation for my trouble.
Why should I pretend I am wise, reasonable, mature, elevated, when I am actually living for the first time? And we often miss the first time: small details need to be tuned, big patterns need to be fixed… But, with life, there is a fucking huge pressure: you live your life for both the first AND the last time! If you fail then, you’re screwed, aren’t you?
Yet, another wake-up call has rocked my world lately: « Suffering from dyslexia, I was set up for failure, so I don’t care. I try and I fail? Okay, I am used to it, let’s try again! » Such a carefree way of facing the idea of failure is more than inspiring, it is necessary. This way of life is so far from my own, I almost collapsed just hearing it! Both envious and scared of such courage.
Since, for me, I am obligated to succeed in every inch of my life, I only think, talk or do anything once I am certain of perfection (a.n: for the record, I set the bar really really high).
* SPOILER ALERT * Yet, like anybody, I often fail!
Sometimes, I wonder if it’s a professional bias: I live my life to write it – what a pretentious bitch I am! -, it then has to be perfect on paper… Even though, everybody reading is waiting for the flaw, relates to the flaw.
We all live our lives for the first and the last time, then let’s live it, shouldn’t we? Even if we miss? Even if goals do not always match intentions? Even if mood boards are sometimes grumpy and vision boards don’t have windows? It’s better to live for the first and the last time than to wait for the perfection of the action which will, without a doubt, crush into the imperfection of life!
Let’s be wild, let’s be alive, let’s make countless moments count.
After all, we all live our lives for the first time.
Justine T.Annezo – October, 7th 2025 – GTM+2
Fleeting Wor(l)ds 