“These are the tears ~~ The tears we shed ~~ This is the fear ~~ This is the dread ~~ These are the contents of my head” Annie Lennox
I was emailing with a friend today about regret and the feeling that you have not lived up to the expectations you had for yourself. I have a long list of things I always wanted to do, with sub categories, footnotes and pictures. I drive my daughter crazy with my lists and plans for the day. A trip to Woodbury Commons takes at least two weeks of preparation for me. First I write a list of everything I’m planning to buy. I print out a map of the outlet, then I strategically plan the most logical way to maneuver our way from store to store. We should start and end at the same point having made it to every store on the list and have a well timed lunch break. This is always the plan, but somehow we veer off the planned route and I never get half the things on my list but I always leave having had a great time, without regret and looking forward to the next trip. This should be my metaphor for how I look ahead at my life. Make plans, enjoy the journey, and be happy with whatever the outcome. I think that I like so many people think that if things don’t go exactly as planned we’ve failed or let ourselves down. Not so, I mean it’s all good, the ups the downs the entire journey. So as I look ahead I will plan to enjoy it all, the missteps, the joys, the misunderstandings, the experiences…without regret.
