We’re writing to you from Paris, where we have been immersed in everything the City of Light has to offer: we saw not only the Mona Lisa (or she saw us) in the Louvre and the Champs d’Elysées by lamplight at midnight, but also were there when Notre Dame reopened after its devastating fire. We were even there to see the chaos in the French Parliament after the Prime Minister was ousted. So while yes, we have enjoyed a few puns about berets and had our fair share of delicate, flakey croissants (who can blame us), we have also been witness to history and in dialogue with all manner of experts, professionals, and changemakers from across Europe: winemakers, economists, racecar drivers, bankers, ballet dancers, producers, filmmakers, and experts in robotics.

Our time here has been one of warmth and wonder, so it was particularly interesting to hear from Nicolas Dubreuil at the Morning Program. Nicolas is a leader of expeditions to some of the most remote regions of the world–one could say an expert in cold and wonder. He admitted to us that he was more comfortable in Greenland than he was in Paris, among Greenlanders hunting polar bears and making treks across frozen, white expanses. It reminded us that the purpose of our journey is not just to experience bustling hubs like New York City and Paris, but to travel out into the world, to see all of its remarkable splendor.

One of our scholars asked Nicolas what his favorite expedition was, and he answered “the next one,” because his work is his passion. Then he told us the riveting story of the expedition where he fell through the Greenland ice and into the freezing water not once but twice, and nearly lost his life. He only survived because he was rescued by a Greenlander. When he reached the hospital, a doctor discouraged him from more expeditions, told him he would likely lose his limbs. “It’s a miracle you’re even alive,” the doctor said, adding that he had in fact never seen anyone survive such a case of hypothermia.

Nicolas said this news was a shock to him. He did not lose his limbs, but still, it made him reevaluate everything in his life. What he learned was this: “You have two lives. And the second one begins when you realize you only have one.” Now, what Nicolas did with this memento mori might surprise you: he committed himself totally to expeditions, quitting his day job.

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Why? Because the lesson wasn’t that he needed to fear death, it was that he needed to spend his life doing the thing he was most passionate about.

His point was not lost on us. Just as we have one life, we have one year with Baret. He reminded us, “This time that you have is so precious: You have one year to think about what you really want to do.” And it became clear: this year was not about finding ourselves or our destiny but about connecting with our passion. As we think about the year to come: Istanbul, Nairobi, Delhi and Beijing, we know we will be taking this advice to heart. To follow our passion and our intuition toward what we are meant to do. As much as we might think we live in a world where everything is known, he reminded us that there is so much more of the world to discover and explore. The truth is we are living in the future, and we can’t wait to see what we do next.

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