Old enough to have regrets.
Do you think there’s a specific age where you are finally wise enough to look back on your mistakes with an open and accepting mind? I don’t have many regrets, but there have been times in my life where I focused on things that didn’t really matter, and ignored things that should have been important. I sort of wonder if I’ll ever get to a place where I’ll look back and be content with the path that led me to ‘now’.
I think my husband has been going through something like this, though much more intensely. It doesn’t help that he recently got a bad report on his health – he has high blood pressure. He’s only 32 years old, but he’s now on blood pressure medication. For me, many of my regrets are financial follies, some are things I still repeat over and over. I sure wish it was easier to change bad habits and truly learn from mistakes.
One Response to “Old enough to have regrets.”
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I don’t think there’s necessarily an age when this happens, but I wish it could happen for everyone. Accepting your mistakes with (as you say) “an open and accepting mind” is incredibly difficult—but incredibly freeing. I can’t tell you how many YEARS I’ve wasted berating myself for my many, many failings. And then it occurred to me: feeling guilty was probably more a reflection of arrogance than anything else. Who am I to think I need to be perfect? How can I forgive the flaws and errors of others so freely, but refuse to return the favor to myself? Of course I made mistakes when I was 25; I didn’t have my 33-year-old brain with me at that time. And of course I’ll make mistakes when I’m 40, too. But it’s okay: I’m human. The world would be a far more peaceful place if people learned to accept their mistakes and move on, to take their lessons learned and apply them to their lives, and to forgive themselves and others for (m)any faults.
Rachel´s last blog ..In Memory of Cody