2. Write about something you regret.
I don’t really understand people who have no regrets. I know that our mistakes help shape us into the wonderful human beings we have all become and that by undoing them we could ultimately change how our entire lives turned out. There’s no telling what the butterfly effect of changing one simple decision could do. So to an extent, I get the whole “not wanting to change the past” thing.
That being said, I cannot pretend there are no regrets in my life. There are plenty of regrets…things I would change that I don’t think would significantly impact my future in any way whatsoever.
Things I regret that would not change who I am today:
1. Not speaking up in class when my teacher talked about cancer.
2. Choosing not to be friends with a good friend because my other good friend was all, “Stop being friends with her!”
3. Quitting basketball because I didn’t like to run.
4. Being an ornery teenager to my step-dad.
5. Telling my sister she looks like Gonzo.
6. Refusing to go to high school dances.
7. Prank calling a friend in 8th grade and telling her I was going to set her house on fire.
8. Telling my husband to “shut the f**k up” when he asked me to marry him. It’s all fun and games until you have to tell the story to your children and future grandchildren. Way to ruin the moment past KAT.
9. That time I lectured my son about losing my phone before finding it in my own coat pocket.
10. Losing a child in my neighborhood when I took a whole group for a walk to the park.
11. Tequila.
12. The lizard incident…still.
13. Any blog post that ever hurt a family member or friend’s feelings. And there have been plenty.
14. Giving myself and Pat food posioning by cooking a steak that was over a week old.
15. Missing Laina’s Kindergarten graduation.
I could go on and on I think especially when it comes to things I would do differently as a parent, but I’m starting to feel bad now. I guess it’s fine to have regrets, but probably not much good can come from listing them all. And maybe, even though some of those seem harmless enough to go back and change…I did learn from them. Many of the negative feelings I associate with them keep me from repeating them over again. And as far as parenting goes, I’ll get my chance to do things differently if I have grandbabies. They will give me my chance to right all my wrongs. I won’t miss a single one of their Kindergarten graduations!
Now it’s your turn!
Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and come back to add your name to the link list below. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1. Tell us about a time you got a new pet.
2. Write about something you regret.
3. Write a blog post inspired by the word: knew
4. Share a list of your favorite things about spring.
5. Write about what you miss most about your early days of blogging.
John Holton says
I started doing this one and realized about the only thing I didn’t have regrets about was marrying Mary, and sometimes I wonder if she regrets marrying me. Needless to say, I chose something else.
Patty+Sparano says
There were several things on your list that I identified with and often look back on with certain regret. But that was one moment, long ago, and there is no do-over, just a nagging memory of what I could, you, could, we all might have done or said better.
And, you’re right, Kat. Nothing would change who we are at this very moment. Not necessarily a bad thing.
(You really told your sister she looked like Gonzo? Guess if I had any siblings, I’d have said worse…)