The gods supposedly know all our plans, and know their ends before their beginnings. The Gods are mischievous, and they delight to potter with the pl… - Gary Jennings

No man ever took better care of his life. He lived only to go on living.
I waited for more, but he said no more, so I asked, "What became of him, Master Cuachic?"
"He died."
"That is all?"
"What else ever becomes of any man? I no longer remember even his name. No one remembers anything at all about him, except that he lived and then he died."

You tell me then that I must perish
like the flowers that I cherish.
Nothing remaining of my name,
nothing remembered of my fame?
But the gardens I planted still are young—
the songs I sang will still be sung!

Surely my life awaits, whichever way I go from here, and whether I go alone or not.
The cacao man smiled too, but ironically. "Yes, at your age, many possible lives await. Go whichever way you choose. Go alone or in company. The companions may walk with you a long way or a little. But at the end of your life, no matter how crowded were its roads and its days, you will have learned what all must learn. And that will be too late for any starting over, too late for anything but regret. So learn it now. No man has ever yet lived out any life but one, and that one his chosen own, and most of that alone."