I have a life philosophy to live life without regrets. Jump off the high dive. Go surprise your Mom for lunch. Hug your kids until they make you stop.
I had a dream last night. I dreamed I went back to my alma mater. We had an untimely parting. This is one of the biggest regrets I thought I had.
In any case, I was walking around campus when I woke up. I came to a realization in those early minutes of my day. I would not be where I am today had I finished my degree. I would be in a very different place. I would not be married to the most wonderful woman and I wouldn't be father to my two little rapscallions.
So, here's the musing. Make a list of the top five big regrets of your life. Draw a line from the consequences of those regretful events to where you are right now. See if you would be better off in the biggest picture sense had that sequence of events not materialized. This isn't intended to be an exercise in temporal causality. It's metaphysics I suppose, not the other kind.
My guess is you wouldn't be where you are, and you will realize that even regrets can be blessings. You get to then stop referring to these things as regrets, and instead think of them as happy accidents.
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2 comments:
That is dead on. I too struggle with regrets and wonder about the decisions I have made in life. Should I have gone to school out of state somewhere? Should I have dropped out of Tech? Should I have taken more chances in my career moves? Should I have married my first wife at all?
And as you point out, I logically know that I would not be where I am without those decisions. Sometimes, when I am not entirely happy with where I am, those regrets are harder to squash. I love parts of my life, but I feel like some of the results of past decisions are still hampering me in some ways. It is a struggle, but I will come through the other side of it stronger. I have a wonderful woman in my life now who is great for helping me with this.
If there was a facebook-style "like" button for this blog - i'd hit it :)
Holy crap. Someone responded to a blog posting.
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