With less than six months until my 30th birthday, I have contemplated some things. I often thought those people who say that they wouldn’t change anything are just full of it. There are a lot of things I would change from the choices I have made about the direction to take life, the lack of engagement with it, and more. The last few years have held some trying experiences, everything from losing a fellow twenty-something friend to cancer, my own trips in and out of the ER, and moving to a whole other continent, and starting an online business! Life has been crazy pants yo!
But, the truth that I have learned is, even if I think those “I wouldn’t change anything” people are not being completely honest with us, you cannot really look back in regret. Not and move forward at least. Because, the thing is we don’t really know. We don’t know that if we had gone to a different college, exercised more, chosen a better job, got more sleep, or moved somewhere else, that life would be better. This life is what we have right now. What good does it truly do to wish different decisions had been made? They weren’t made. So, all we can do is pick up the pieces, lift up our heads, find an amazing support system, and move the heck forward!
Here are a few things I know:
- Your heart can still love even if it feels broken.
- Amazing friends and friendships do exist.
- The sun will come out again, if not tomorrow, soon. (And you’re welcome for getting that song stuck in your head.)
- Learning is happening. Be patient.
And…
- Though it is often scary, it is worth it to say YES to more things.
As cliché as it sounds, I do regret more of what I haven’t done than what I have,
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~Mark Twain
If we could go back and change things, we could miss out on meeting someone that has made our life brighter, learning something that we desperately need to know, or doing something that has set us on a beneficial path.
I would never miss out on the precious memories like listening to a concert in the plaza under the rain, being atop mountain in the Andes on a chilly morning taking in the view, or standing beside my BFF on her wedding day. And who’s to say that I could have had those moments without the less pleasant ones. And, if so, would I have appreciated them as much? Not likely. Your thoughts?
Is there something that you know in your heart of hearts? Share it with us in the comments. So, would you do it differently? Yes or no, I won’t judge I promise.
Today’s post prompt came via The SITS Girls and is part of the Stop The Summer Slump Blogging Challenge. You can sign up here: SITS Girls Blogging Challenge
Carolyn Moore says
” So, all we can do is pick up the pieces, lift up our heads, find an amazing support system, and move the heck forward!”
So much this.
Speaking from the other side of 30 (albeit only by a year!), I think what you’ve said here is exactly true. When my husband and I got married almost 9 years ago, if you would have told me we’d lose our home to a catastrophic flood, live with my in-laws for a year, and struggle through rebuilding our lives all in our 20s with three young children in tow, I’d have run off and cowered in a corner for, oh, a year. When we don’t know what’s ahead, we have the courage to face whatever comes our way because we have to react, to be ready to say, “I can do this,” and then actually do it. And when we have people we love surrounding us, a faith that guides our hopes, and determination to get through the highs and the lows with grace, we can truly find joy in any situation.
Thanks for sharing, and happy birthday!
PS–I found your link on the SITS link up 🙂
lorihil says
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and encouragement. Taking things with “grace.” It so true, if we knew all that was coming, it would be too much. Days and moments at a time. I appreciate you stopping by!