Word-Of-the-Week #786: Regrets
August 29, 2019 by Susan Clarke
Regrets – feelings of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different.
Do you wish anything in your life were different? Do you have any unfulfilled dreams? Do you ever feel disappointed about choices you have or have not made?
This week long time friend Joe and subscriber had this response to Hakuna Matata . “William Faulkner wrote that “The past is not dead. It is not even past.”
What I have learned over the past 10 years is that whatever has happened to me in the past has helped shape who I am today.
I neither regret it, nor do I want to return to it. As you noted in your piece, it is what it is.
Even when I have looked back today, I would make the same decisions again if I had the chance. And in almost every case, I am glad that I made those decisions, because in retrospect if I had taken another route, especially in my personal life, my life might not be as good and fulfilling as it is today.
So, I don’t dwell on what I did or did not do when I was younger. What I always look for in my life is to not have regrets, especially in relationships.
As I look back on the relationships I have had with my family – my late younger brother, parents, nephew and numerous family friends – I have always made a point of being there and making time and taking advantage of opportunities that might never come along again.
Life is so much easier when we don’t have regrets. It makes it that much easier to live in the present.
And the present, Susan, is a wonderful gift.”
And like Joe, I don’t have any regrets. I’m not proud of some of the things I have done and would have liked moving thru some periods quicker… or done things differently… or made better choices. It’s always easier to see things in hindsight. But I am the sum total of all my experiences…so to have regrets would mean that I am disappointed in myself.
This week’s focus is on not having regrets. Do you dwell on things that you did or didn’t do years ago? Would you be upset if someone suddenly died and you wished you had told or did something for them? Do you make a point to nurture and create close relationships?
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