Word-Of-the-Week #866: Regrets
March 11, 2021 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #866: Regrets
Regrets – feelings of sorrow, disappointment, distress, or remorse about something that one wishes could be different.
Do you ever look back on your past with feelings of regret? Or have you made peace with your past so you can move on?
This week features long time friend and subscriber Joe’s response to the WOW on enjoyment. He writes,
“One of the most important of those points is in making peace with our pasts.
There are so many people who continue to regret what happened, regret what they said, regret what they did in their pasts. It reminds me of a line from a Bob Seger song, “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” That basically says, “I wish I coulda shoulda woulda.”
But they didn’t, and now they are going back over their pasts and trying to fix it. 
But it’s done. What’s done is done. Move on. LIVE!
By continuing to live in the past, we lose tomorrow.
Once we make peace with our pasts and realize that those mistakes made us who we are today. The key is to not repeat those mistakes again.
We have to enjoy today. This day, WILL NEVER COME AGAIN. So, enjoy it.
Jim Valvano, the late basketball coach of North Carolina State University, said we should do three things every day: “Laugh, think and have your emotions move you to tears. If you do those three things every day, that’s a helluva week.”
It is also so important to simply be nice to people. If there is anything I have experienced in life is that karma is for real. How you treat people every day of your life comes back to you.
I have experienced so much goodness simply by treating people well or just lending a helping hand. We never know when it will come back to us during our lifetimes.
Susan, I don’t know if you saw the Tom Hanks’ film “A Wonderful Day In the Neighborhood,” which is about Fred Rogers. During one scene he tells the reporter to simply think of all the people who loved him into being. That was one of the most life affirming moments of the film. Many times we don’t think of all of those people who have created who we are.
As I have looked back on so much of my life, I would not change one thing, even with some of the setbacks I have experienced. Because they made me into who I am today.
Great word, Susan.
Don’t worry. BE HAPPY!
Stay well.”
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 believe that everything that has happened in your life has brought you to where you are today? Do you believe in karma and that any negative past behavior can be repaired? Do you want to live in your past or be in the present?
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Word-Of-the-Week #786: Regrets
August 29, 2019 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #786: Regrets
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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