I Regret Nothing! (Oh Wait, Yes I Do…)

1. I was accepted into the Nursing Program at JCC in 2006. I then decided not to participate in the program a week before it started. Why, you ask? Because as a young lady with a social life, I had no time for that “nonsense.” I mean, who thinks working all weekend (and I mean ALL weekend), to be able to LIVE while you went to school all week is a good time? Not this gal! No sir (or ma’am, whatever you prefer). I really wish I would have known the value of what that sacrifice would have meant for me now, then. But hell no, I had better things to do, like drink and party… Which leads me to my next regret:
2. Drinking my twenties away. Oh the memories I have made that I can’t remember! All those outings to Jim Porters, all those fun stories around the camp fire and keg, all those times I spent more time with my “ass in the air” (as my uncle always used to say)… GONE… Or at the very least, fuzzy. I think drinking all of my twenties (and late teen years) away had led to my delayed thought process, arthritic knees (falling down, with my ass up in the air), and all of these weird headaches (cranial wounds, I’m sure). It also didn’t help the heart disease that I am genetically prone to. If it weren’t for being pregnant with my son in 2012, I would probably still be drinking heavily now (trust me, I want to sometimes; he wears me out, but that’s a different day). Especially when my dad died suddenly 3 months after my son was born. Which leads me to my next regret:
3. Not spending enough time with the old man. He was pretty rough on my siblings and I growing up (and on my mother too), so when I came of age, I ran! Ran as fast and as far as I could (at least a county over). I loved my dad to death, we were always doing things together (hunting, fishing, running around, sharing our love for outer-space with each other). Hanging out with him actually got  easier and more enjoyable as I got older (may have been the booze, not real sure). My dad was real proud of his grandson and that made my heart smile. It wasn’t easy to please my father. Not ever. But that should have not been the reason to not go and see him when he was in town. I always figured I had all the time in the world; hell, he was only 48. But sadly I didn’t, so now I can’t tell him how much he meant to me, and that hurts my heart. Also the heartache of knowing my son will not know his paw-paw personally. Our time here on Earth is never promised: Live, Love, and Learn…. as much as you can. Which brings me to my last regret that I will share in this segment:
4. Sewing. More so, using a sewing machine. I wish I would have learned this shit sooner (drinking). I never thought it would be so fun! Now, I will have to admit that sometimes I want to throw the damn thing through the wall, because it can be so aggravating. When I first opened this gift from my mom, the first thing that I said was, “A sewing machine? What the fuck am I supposed to do with a sewing machine?!?!?!” But it ends up being one of the best gifts I have ever received (besides the zombie target from my dad, but again, another day). Well played mother, well played. I accepted the challenge head on, and even though I have many, many, many more things to learn on the thing, I am well on my way to being my own seamstress.

Regrets help mold us into the people that we are. They teach valuable lessons (don’t drink your life away, you might miss something), and build our character (life-long learner, here). They teach us to appreciate (tell everyone you love that you love them, before its too late), and teaches us not to let opportunities pass us by the next time (I now have a double Bachelor’s, and neither is in nursing). Write your regrets down and reflect on how they have helped you along this crazy life. You will be surprised on how they all come full circle.

Here’s the cool dude that saved our lives (my husband and I).