This Year of Being 40 for me has been quite an interesting year. When you start a new decade, you often take stock of your life and reflect on successes, joys, mistakes, and regrets. (New Year’s is a good time for this as well.) I only have a few regrets in life, mostly dating back to my late teen years. But generally, who I am today is because of the path I took, and I like who I am, so I don’t regret my choices.
Still, when I came across BuzzFeed’s post, “37 Things You’ll Regret When You’re Old,” I had to take a look. Just in case. I needn’t have worried. I’ve got most of this in hand. How well have you done?
Here are some comments on a select few. To see the whole list, go visit the article itself.
1. Not traveling when you had the chance. I don’t travel as often as I’d like, entirely due to monetary issues. But I have had quite a number of adventures. Pre-kid, I had a couple of trips to Europe, lots of road trips around the United States, and a very fun trip to New Zealand. Post-kid, I went to Ireland, went on a cruise, and took several road trips around the United States, including one that lasted for 40 days. Compared to what I’d like, I haven’t traveled nearly enough. But compared to many people out there, I’ve had some amazing opportunities. And I know I’ll continue to travel on a regular basis for the rest of my life.
2. Not learning another language. As part of potential future travel adventures (see number 1), Rory and I are learning German. We both know some Spanish already, but German is a whole new challenge we’re taking on together. It’s fun and frustrating. It makes my brain hurt. But once we’re done, we’ll thank ourselves.
3. Staying in a bad relationship. I’m in a very good relationship. I’ve only had one really bad one, and that was a long time ago (see the aforementioned late teen years).
4. Forgoing sunscreen. Got this one handled for sure. I’m a cave dweller who always slathers on the sunscreen in the summer. Not quite ghostly white, but not far off.
9. Not quitting a terrible job. Check. My life’s too short to spend my days miserable. I usually had another job lined up, though.
12. Being afraid to say “I love you.” Nope, never had trouble with this one. People whom I love know how I feel about them.
15. Caring too much about what other people think. I’m getting much better at this. Age and motherhood have helped immensely.
19. Not standing up for yourself. Never had trouble with this one, either. I hate being misrepresented.
21. Neglecting your teeth. I’m a stickler for good dental hygiene.
Sure, there are a couple that I need to work on (<cough>33. Worrying too much.<cough>). But in general, I’m doing really well.
Live your life with no regrets. If you always make the best decisions you can at the time, you should be fine. And you can always aim to make better decisions in the future.
