When I think about regrets, I think of my best friend in high school, Luke. Not because of some sad tragedy, but because of a brief conversation we once had. We grew up in a small city in southern Wisconsin, meaning there wasn't much to do, so the weekends were always spent clamoring around just biding our time until we graduated and went to college.
This one particular weekend we were invited to the Wisconsin Dells by a mutual friend of ours. I think actually this friend wanted to get to know one of us better. We reluctantly agreed to go. The Wisconsin Dells is a tourist paradise. It has great attractions including the world's largest outdoor water park, go karting, canoeing, camping, 4 indoor water parks, and a myriad of shows. Any of these options would have been great. Instead where did we end up -- Ripley's Believe It or Not followed by an exciting time of exploring the souvenir shops. To add to the whole debacle of a situation, the our friend's mother drove us and brought along the little brother.
There we were. Two 17yr old guys in one of the funnest cities in Wisconsin, with a friend who really neither of us were interested in, her mother, and her little brother. Fun times. At the end of the day, it was decided that we would all go to Arby's for dinner before heading home. Luke and I were not hungry, so we decided to forgo the usual Big Montana sandwich. Instead we both decided to order a 44oz. chocolate shake. The rich chocolatey goodness combined with the creamy sweetness of the milk it is so good my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
We got about half way through our shakes, when Luke turns to me and says, "Do you have any regrets?" The nice guy that I was got a little suspicious at the question, so I asked, "What are you talking about?" I will never forget his reply. "You know regrets, like things you would like to take back. For instance if I had to do today over again, I would have never order such a large milk shake." Suddenly realizing that I was also getting sick of sucking such a think mass of ice cream through a tiny hole, I had to agree.
Years later, I now understand regrets in a whole new light. However, I don't think that a person should regret anything that he or she can change. If I say to someone I regret never having learned to play the guitar, that is not a real regret, because I could feasibly do something about that. If I smoke for 40 years and get throat cancer because of it, that is something that I should regret. Many people look at the circumstances of their lives and complain, then do nothing to change them.
We are all going to make choices in our lives that we regret. We will do our research, get the facts and feel confident in our decisions. Still some of those choices will turn out to be our deepest regrets. It is unavoidable. We should not let this keep us out of the game of life though. We should take each moment in stride making the best decision we see fit, living our lives to the fullest, and leaving nothing in reserve. I leave you with these words.
Make sure your decisions are well thought out and wise, put your entire being into everything you do especially your relationships, and don't worry about getting a milkshake that is too big. You will be remembered for the person you were not the regrets you had.
