Someone, actually more than one someone, asked me if I had any regrets. I said no. They didn’t believe me. They said “everyone has regrets.”
And I suppose that’s true. Regret as a verb means “feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity).” Regret as a noun is defined as “a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.” So, considering these definitions, I can’t say I’ve never done something I felt sad over, or repentant over. I can’t say I never experienced disappointment over something that happened or that I’ve done. I am human, after all. Mistakes are a part of life.
But even considering these definitions, I still feel that I have no regrets and I couldn’t explain it until I read this quote. That “at one point, everything I did was exactly what I wanted.” Because it’s true. Everything I decided on was what I wanted at that time. I weighed my options and considered the consequences and then, I chose. You can’t beat yourself up for choosing the way you did simply because you didn’t realize the consequences. Well, I choose not to anyway. I’m not a mind reader or clairvoyant. I make the best decision I can with the information I have and hope for the best. If things don’t work out the way I expected, I can’t chastise myself for a bad decision I didn’t realize would be bad. You know? It’s just not worth the time and energy. Besides, I feel if I did do that, if I did let myself feel regret, there is a greater risk of becoming bitter and angry than if I just accept it and make peace with bad decisions. It’s healthier to consider those mistakes as lessons learned.
So, this quote resonates with me.