Regrets

I don’t think people who say “I have no regrets” really know what they are saying.  I think that the phrase is a popular one among younger girls to make them look like they have actually done things that someone would regret, but they are so cool and aloof that they don’t care that they have done these things; therefore, they “have no regrets.” What a load of crap.  I hate seeing the phrase. 

If you have no regrets, I think you’re doing it wrong.  No one has gone through life without making some mistakes.  If you have no regrets, you either haven’t taken any chances, aren’t living life to its fullest; or sadly, you have no conscience.  If you don’t feel any sorrow for things done wrong, either in a way that hurt someone else, or yourself, then I feel very bad for you indeed. 

I have regrets.  I regret that I didn’t take that path less traveled.  I regret the time spent with the wrong person, and not enough time spent with the people who mattered more than I knew at the time.  I regret the words not uttered, and the care not shown.  I regret not standing up for myself more.  I regret the pictures not painted and the words not written.  I regret some of the stupid things I’ve said or done.  I regret the chances not taken.  There are many regrets.

Of all of the regrets I have would I undo any of them?  If I did where would it take me if I could?  How different would my life be if there were things in my life that I could undo, or regrets that I could change?  Would I really wish my life to be different than it is right now?  I think not.  So although I do have regrets, and I wish that I had done a million things differently, I don’t want my life now to be any different than it is now. 

I want to use my regrets for a learning experience and use my regrets to mold how I live my life in the future.  I will remember my regret that I was once afraid to speak my mind, and try to be more courageous.   I will remember my regret of not spending enough time with loved ones and I will choose to be with the ones who matter most in my life.  I will use my regrets, and make them a tool to make the rest of my life better.

So don’t tell me that you have no regrets.  If that is the truth, then I’m sorry for you.  But I think that it is not the case for most people.  I think we regret many things, but we choose not to dwell on them and we choose to accept the faults and mistakes in our past and use them to change who we are in the future.