Regret Not

There have been a few wise people in my past who have encouraged me to do things, if for no other reason than, to protect me from future regret.

More than a few times, I have done “the right thing” and the results did not seem fair or favorable. Sometimes the reward for doing the right thing is getting something warm and fuzzy in return, but sometimes it just protects me from regret.

Facing the decision of whether to jump on a plane and be with a loved one that is ill or not, the advice I have gotten has been to do thing what will not place me in danger of future regret. For me that has been to go when in doubt. I have never regretted a trip and at times the rewards were priceless and if I had not gone on the regrets would have been acute.

When my aunt came to help me, my dad and my mom when my mom was dying, one of the first things she said was that we needed to get through what lied ahead without my dad and I having any regrets. So, we went to great lengths to discuss and discuss each decision and made every effort to include everyone appropriate in the decision-making process. Even though we may have made some things a little harder than they had to be, if nothing else it was all protection from regret - the ‘gift that just keeps on giving’. The end result of good effort is not always a happy ending. My mom still died and it was very hard on all involved, but we live regret-free.

Do I go on that date or not? If I do, it could result in a something warm and fuzzy or it may be a dud. If I go, I don’t have to eternally wonder what I may have cheated myself or someone else out of.

I am sure today that doing the right thing is only just about getting obviously good results, but it also places me in the right place at the right time to live free and clear of guilt, doubts and regrets.

Hold that thought...

James