Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom (And Whimsy)

Posted on January 15, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with one comment

Isn’t it grand

 

“Regrets, I’ve had a few,

But then again, too few to mention.”

My Way – Frank Sinatra

How often have you heard something like this:

“I wish I had started saving money at a younger age.”

“I wish I had kept taking piano lessons when I was young.”

“I wish I had been a better student in school.”

“I wish that I hadn’t started smoking when I was a teenager.”

“I wish that I was 20 pounds lighter (or 20 years younger!)”

“I wish that I had travelled more.”

We all have regrets. The trick is to have as few as possible and then to let them go. Living in the past is not very productive unless you believe in second chances. Or you believe in time travel.  Marty McFly comes to mind. People spend so much energy rehashing and dissecting the past that it saps their energy for living in the present.

What if you happen to be in the later innings of life and feel that you could have done more or done better?

I’ve heard this expression many times before and it’s worth repeating. The best time to plant an apple tree was 25 years ago. The next best time to plant an apple tree is now.

It sounds crazy but it’s never too late to start saving money. It’s not likely that you will amass a fortune, but the act of saving is something positive. Give up one Timmies a week and put the money in a jar. You just saved $150 and at the end of the year you can treat a friend to a fancy dinner.

So, you quit taking piano (guitar, flute) lessons when you were a teenager. Your parents nagged you to death. Instead of watching endless hours of traumatizing news, grab that old Gibson guitar, dust it off and start crooning once again. You likely won’t end up being a headliner in Vegas, but you could possibly discover immense pleasure in playing Country Roads once again.

I am not especially happy with my university years. I could have partied less and studied more. Recently, I decided to try and assuage my guilt by rereading some of the classics that didn’t get the full treatment 50 years ago. Presently, I’m reading A Tale of Two Cities, the Charles Dickens classic. It’s more than 1,000 pages of the smallest print imaginable. My goal is to not go blind before finishing it! And, like my good friend, Dawn, you could go back and take some university classes in your golden years. Many universities offer courses for free to seniors.

Still smoking? I know lots of people (some by choice and many through necessity) who quit smoking in their 70s and 80s. Will it extend your life? Not necessarily but it might improve the quality of the years that you have left.

It’s quite normal to put on weight with the passage of time. We’re not climbing a lot of trees these days or running through forests making forts. Climbing a set of stairs is challenging enough. We’re more sedentary in retirement. I can tell you from vast experience, that losing weight is no fun and it’s hard work. However, the rewards and the satisfaction of being able to get into your old bell-bottom jeans (only joking!) is worth the effort.

There are so many days that I wish I was 20 years younger but an equal number of days that I’m overjoyed to be the age that I am. I can tell you one thing. Having spent the past number of years teaching, I wouldn’t want to be a teenager or the parent of a teenager in 2025.

Never been on a cruise? Never been to a country you’ve always wanted to visit? Yes. I know that travel is expensive, time consuming and more challenging these days than it once was. If you have the means, why not plan a trip? What are you waiting for? There’s still time.

It’s high time to bury your regrets, IMHO.

Next time you’re taking out the trash, toss in a bag of regrets. Make sure you put them in the garbage and not in the recycling container!

Have a great weekend.