Biggest Regret

[mickey1952]

Mine would probably be that I never had the opportunity to become a father. What's yours?

 

My second biggest regret is that I never had the courage to fully come out. When I was younger it was career concerns. Now it's living in a small Midwestern town of 7800. But damn, I still love this place!

Edited November 3, 2013 by mickey1952

[rustle]

waiting

[Graeme]

Waiting until I was 40 before finally accepting I was gay. However, that's a mixed regret because if I had accepted myself earlier, I might not have the family I've got, with a loving wife and two wonderful boys. But I'll always regret not knowing if I could've had a boyfriend

[wildone]

21 and backing out a trip to Germany, France and England. Didn't know if I would be out of a job about the same time so decided not to risk it.

 

Just celebrated my 25th year with the same company so I should have went. For 24 years have been regretting not going and always say 'maybe next year'.

 

[Thorn Wilde]

I don't really know if I have any specific big regrets... I mean, generally I try not to regret things. I prefer to say, 'Oh well,' and move on. You won't get very far constantly thinking about what you should have done differently. But there are certainly chances I wish I would have taken. Times when I hesitated a moment too long and missed an opportunity to do something fun or awesome or creative and was too shy or self-conscious or whatever to take the chance. Which is why I've been trying not to think too much and just jump in head first. If things work out, at least it won't be because I didn't try. I'd rather know that I went for something and failed than know that I missed out because I didn't jump quick enough. I've regretted things I said (thoughtless things that hurt people's feelings), but rarely things I did--only things I didn't do.

[Cia]

If I had to pick a decision that made the biggest impact on my life it'd be choosing to return movies instead of turning left to go home 2 blocks before a drunk driver hit my husband and me, causing me a lifelong injury and daily pain. That pain and the annoyance of rearranging my life makes you step back and think... what if I'd done this instead? What if I'd done that? It can also lead to a lot of bitterness if you dwell on bad choices.

 

I try not to let myself second guess decisions. Our choices change the direction our lives take each and every day. Simple things can change everything, like returning two movies, taking a flight of stairs instead of the elevator, or not going up to that person you had a crush on and saying hi. There might be a lot I'd do differently in my life, but why worry about what I cannot change? Why not face ahead and leave the 'if' game behind.

[Daddydavek]

My biggest regret is being careless with some friendships and losing touch with some friends over the years.   Coming from a large family and always so involved with work and my immediate responsibility to my wife and kids, there never seemed enough time to maintain contacts with all the people who I genuinely liked and cared about, including people with whom I served in the Army more than 40 years ago.   In a combat unit that is deployed, you get pretty close.  

[Arpeggio]

Immediately thinking, I would say I would have walked away from drugs. Then again, I don't know what kind of person I'd be like if I did. The ambiguity of it all makes me wonder if that's really a regret or just a consequence that made me a better person. 

 

On the lighter side, I really regret eating all the food I just ate. @_@

Edited November 4, 2013 by Arpeggio

[Aditus]

not waiting

[Zombie]

Waiting until I was 40 before finally accepting I was gay. However, that's a mixed regret because if I had accepted myself earlier, I might not have the family I've got, with a loving wife and two wonderful boys. But I'll always regret not knowing if I could've had a boyfriend

 

Seems like things worked out pretty well, Graeme - you're now comfortable in your own skin and you have a loving family. I think most people would grab that in a flash over anything else

 

For me, losing touch with the boy I had a brief relationship with when I was very young, although he was in another country. But still. And not returning the kindness of a friend at school.

[Celethiel]

you ever hear the term, "I'll make you regret ever being born..."

[lukeantony831]

My biggest regret was coming out to my parents far too early before either party was ready to deal with all the drama, including my boyfriend at that time who later dumped me because of all the emotional stress my coming out put him through. 

[JamesSavik]

you don't get that one for free

[Sasha Distan]

not jumping ship and moving to Turkey. i kind always wondered what would have happened. i had a job offer and a place to stay and everything...

[FrenchCanadian]

I try not to have regrets, because otherwise, you just get all the bitterness about the whole coulda, woulda, shoulda. Beside, you can't just live in the past, and lose all of the present. 

 

That being said, if I could go back in the past and change something, I would go back to when I was 20-21yo.. I got too attached to someone when I partially knew it couldn't work out, then at the same time, I didn't give all the work I should have given to uni work.