I try to live my life with as few regrets as possible. Raw circumstances and joyous occasions have made me who I am today, and I am generally pretty happy with the person that I am and with the place where I reside, speaking both metaphysically and physically--current funk notwithstanding.
Over the weekend, I read a book with an intriguing lure. (The Summerhouse by Jude Devereaux). In this book three women who had a happenstance meeting at the BMV on their shared 21st birthday get together again as they turn 40. Life has not been particularly kind to any of them, and they are given the chance to go back to one three-week period in their lives and re-write their life story, if they so desire. Not the same 3 weeks for all--but ANY 3 consecutive weeks for each. If they do so, they can either totally erase the memory of the other life and continue down the rewritten path, move on with the new life but keep the memory of what has transpired elsewhere, or stay where they are in the life they have already made. Each woman chooses something different (1 for each scenario).
So what would I do if offered the same choice? I don't know that I could pinpoint a three-week period that would have been life-altering. In retrospect, I could probably name a handful of isolated moments that I would like a re-do on, but only on the assurance that I would, for the most part, end up in the same spot I am in today. In doing so, my desire would not be for something better for myself, but to perhaps help others on the road not taken for them. I think I would have told the people I love how much I appreciate them more often, but I am not sure that we can EVER do that often enough.
If you could go back and change anything, would you? What?
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2 comments:
This is a VERY interesting question. I love it!
There are a few 3 week periods I could say were life altering, though I refer to them as forks in the road. At that moment, you make a decision and forever your life will be different. "No regrets," is what I live by.
Looking back I would not change a single moment in my life. Doing so would not place me where I am today. As gut wrenching difficult some of those moments were, I would do them all over to remain who I am.
I absolutely agree. The only thing I WOULD want to change is to be a bit kinder to a couple of people and maybe I could change THEIR lives for the positive.
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