Regrets, I've had a few..but then again...
Well, thankfully, my friends, the flu has finally done an Elvis and left the building, so I am able to actually focus again without first throwing down medication. Today's post was inspired by a conversation I had this morning about what we would change if we could go back in time...if you could relive a few moments and perhaps do things differently..aside from the fact, if you did go back, you might not be where you are now..I have to conclude, despite everything, I probably wouldn't want to alter too much, but then again..? Let me explain...
Like most people of any kind of age, when I look back, there are most definitely moments I wish I had behaved better, there are also perhaps too many times, when I wish I had said an emphatic 'no' rather than such a quick 'yes.' I was one of those people to whom almost anything sounded like a good idea, be it 'let's see how many cocktails we can make with the contents of the parents' drinks cabinet' or 'let's run off to the beach and sleep under the stars instead of finishing our working day.' Oh yes, good sense and I were pretty much strangers for too long ! But even though that's true, would I have missed walking along a moonlit beach covered in snow ? Absolutely not. As for the drinks cabinet, I learned many valuable life lessons that night, the primary one being, you need to be exceptionally careful when adding Tia Maria to anything because its not 'just like strong coffee.'
Aside from drunken shenanigans, there were a few episodes at parties which perhaps didn't show me at my finest, for example, the time I allowed myself to be covered head-to-toe in blue make up in preparation for an 'Out of this World Party.' ( I should stress this was long before Jennifer Lawrence became Mystique a la X-Men franchise). So once suitably daubed, a friend and I walked down the main street of our hometown, both carrying obviously plastic ray guns while pretending to converse in some little known alien language. It was all going so well until we stopped at an ATM, pointed our guns at it and asked for money, while giggling helplessly. Sadly, the two police officers didn't see the joke and we were forcefully asked to put down our 'weapons', I say ,sadly, because instead of just answering them, I opted to babble at them in our new language which they didn't find even slightly amusing. Our weapons were swiftly taken and we were warned to behave more appropriately, which we did, if you feel skipping down the road, singing the 'Star Trek' theme is appropriate. Now, do I regret this brush with the Law ? Again, absolutely not ! We had the best night at the party although going home the next day, when it was raining and I was wearing little more than the blue make-up, might not have been a great idea - a bit of fore-thought would have been advisable ( no doubt Jennifer was much more sensible).
Also, as I seem to be in the mood of confession, there have been a few mornings when I have woken up in the 'wrong' bed with most definitely the 'wrong' person..but again, do I regret it ? Not entirely because I do believe being forced down the 'walk of shame' is a rite of passage, after all, if you've never done anything 'bad', how will you recognise 'good' when it comes to ideas.
So what do I regret ? I think I would have to say, not always fully appreciating the people in my life until they weren't there any more. My parents are a prime example, when I look back, I spent way too much time and energy trying to 'prove' something to them, instead of just being happy they were there. Now, of course, when I need their wisdom or even just a word of advice, I miss their presence and wish I had asked more questions. I regret not always being able to end relationships that weren't working because, for some misguided reason, I believed they could be saved...looking back, I could have spared myself no end of heartache if I had just shown some courage. But, selfish as it sounds, my biggest regret is forgetting to put my own name on the list of priorities which is something I know many parents do. When we have children, rightly so, their needs come first, but it's just too easy to forget you have needs too and I do regret not remembering myself when considering what was best. As a result, I feel I probably did miss opportunities but then again, as I said at the beginning, maybe I wouldn't be here, if I had behaved differently...and 'here' is a good place to be.
So what do others regret ? Some people I've spoken with are sad they spent money, when they should have saved..they regret the nights out, or the brand new wardrobe of clothes or those tickets to see a concert. They shake their heads and talk about 'what they should have done.." But when pressed, invariably their mood lifts when they remember the pure joy of wearing their new shoes or the raw lust they felt when Justin ( Timberlake not Bieber) gyrated in front of them...so their regret is thankfully short-lived. I guess the truth is, regrets are moments we cannot change, so the best we can hope for, is we learn something from them when our minds drift back.
I feel to be burdened with 'what we should have done' or 'what we should have said', will only drag us down, far better, ( in my humble opinion ), to try not to make the same mistake again. After all, if, at the end of your life, you look back and see you've never done anything 'wrong', I am not convinced you will feel, you have lived at all. So how to avoid those pesky regrets ? Well, as the old saying goes, be quick to apologise when you're wrong and slow to boast when you're right...keep your heart open and your thoughts, if not pure, not destructive. I guess if you can follow those simple words, you won't have too much to regret.
Well, I hope you don't regret stopping by today and I look forward to speaking with you again soon...until then...
Take care out there xx
Like most people of any kind of age, when I look back, there are most definitely moments I wish I had behaved better, there are also perhaps too many times, when I wish I had said an emphatic 'no' rather than such a quick 'yes.' I was one of those people to whom almost anything sounded like a good idea, be it 'let's see how many cocktails we can make with the contents of the parents' drinks cabinet' or 'let's run off to the beach and sleep under the stars instead of finishing our working day.' Oh yes, good sense and I were pretty much strangers for too long ! But even though that's true, would I have missed walking along a moonlit beach covered in snow ? Absolutely not. As for the drinks cabinet, I learned many valuable life lessons that night, the primary one being, you need to be exceptionally careful when adding Tia Maria to anything because its not 'just like strong coffee.'Aside from drunken shenanigans, there were a few episodes at parties which perhaps didn't show me at my finest, for example, the time I allowed myself to be covered head-to-toe in blue make up in preparation for an 'Out of this World Party.' ( I should stress this was long before Jennifer Lawrence became Mystique a la X-Men franchise). So once suitably daubed, a friend and I walked down the main street of our hometown, both carrying obviously plastic ray guns while pretending to converse in some little known alien language. It was all going so well until we stopped at an ATM, pointed our guns at it and asked for money, while giggling helplessly. Sadly, the two police officers didn't see the joke and we were forcefully asked to put down our 'weapons', I say ,sadly, because instead of just answering them, I opted to babble at them in our new language which they didn't find even slightly amusing. Our weapons were swiftly taken and we were warned to behave more appropriately, which we did, if you feel skipping down the road, singing the 'Star Trek' theme is appropriate. Now, do I regret this brush with the Law ? Again, absolutely not ! We had the best night at the party although going home the next day, when it was raining and I was wearing little more than the blue make-up, might not have been a great idea - a bit of fore-thought would have been advisable ( no doubt Jennifer was much more sensible).
Also, as I seem to be in the mood of confession, there have been a few mornings when I have woken up in the 'wrong' bed with most definitely the 'wrong' person..but again, do I regret it ? Not entirely because I do believe being forced down the 'walk of shame' is a rite of passage, after all, if you've never done anything 'bad', how will you recognise 'good' when it comes to ideas.
So what do I regret ? I think I would have to say, not always fully appreciating the people in my life until they weren't there any more. My parents are a prime example, when I look back, I spent way too much time and energy trying to 'prove' something to them, instead of just being happy they were there. Now, of course, when I need their wisdom or even just a word of advice, I miss their presence and wish I had asked more questions. I regret not always being able to end relationships that weren't working because, for some misguided reason, I believed they could be saved...looking back, I could have spared myself no end of heartache if I had just shown some courage. But, selfish as it sounds, my biggest regret is forgetting to put my own name on the list of priorities which is something I know many parents do. When we have children, rightly so, their needs come first, but it's just too easy to forget you have needs too and I do regret not remembering myself when considering what was best. As a result, I feel I probably did miss opportunities but then again, as I said at the beginning, maybe I wouldn't be here, if I had behaved differently...and 'here' is a good place to be.
So what do others regret ? Some people I've spoken with are sad they spent money, when they should have saved..they regret the nights out, or the brand new wardrobe of clothes or those tickets to see a concert. They shake their heads and talk about 'what they should have done.." But when pressed, invariably their mood lifts when they remember the pure joy of wearing their new shoes or the raw lust they felt when Justin ( Timberlake not Bieber) gyrated in front of them...so their regret is thankfully short-lived. I guess the truth is, regrets are moments we cannot change, so the best we can hope for, is we learn something from them when our minds drift back.
I feel to be burdened with 'what we should have done' or 'what we should have said', will only drag us down, far better, ( in my humble opinion ), to try not to make the same mistake again. After all, if, at the end of your life, you look back and see you've never done anything 'wrong', I am not convinced you will feel, you have lived at all. So how to avoid those pesky regrets ? Well, as the old saying goes, be quick to apologise when you're wrong and slow to boast when you're right...keep your heart open and your thoughts, if not pure, not destructive. I guess if you can follow those simple words, you won't have too much to regret.
Well, I hope you don't regret stopping by today and I look forward to speaking with you again soon...until then...
Take care out there xx
