You Only Die Once!

You only live once is a phrase we all hear a lot, though that's not true. The real statement is we only die once, but we live every day. In life some people believe in winning and losing, but me myself I believe in winning and learning. I've been through so much throughout my life and I haven't even hit twenty-five yet. And I know it's not only me, but that's okay, that's what life is, some good days and some bad days.

The day I found out I had HIV, my day started out wonderful and smooth. Once I got the news - I remember it like yesterday - it's like my whole day blacked out; my mind went blank. I was speechless. I remember just going through the flow the rest of the day. I found out while I was at work and I remember crying at the time. I didn't even know tears were coming down my face until my manager asked if I needed to go home. But I couldn't leave work - then it would be real. I couldn't be alone, I couldn't sit in silence, then it would be real, the news I just heard would be real, and I would have to deal with it, and how do you deal with being HIV positive when that's not something you ever in your life thought you would hear? That day was bad; that news was bad, terrifying news. I can't lie though, that news seriously changed my life. It changed my mind frame and it opened my eyes.

Life is very short and anything can happen to any of us at any given moment, so it's never okay to judge the next person, especially not knowing their situation. Don't judge me off of my looks. HIV doesn’t have a specific look, I promise you. HIV isn't personal. HIV isn't a person. I am Destiny. I am Mother, Girlfriend, Friend, Daughter, Sister, Granddaughter, Blogger, Writer, Future Medical Assistant, Future Registered Nurse, I AM THE FUTURE. Anyone with this diagnosis is not anything less than anyone else. They/you are human, you are loved and you are blessed. You should live every day and continue to strive to be your best. You should continue to live your dreams because we, just like anyone else, live every single day.

You Only Die Once. But being HIV positive doesn't mean stop living. It means live even more.