Regret

Today I saw one of those signs in the store full of advice, and it ended with Never regret.

I have tried to live my life without regret. When I think of living without regret, for me that mostly means in relationships. Like tell people how you feel, hug them, love them, make sure they know. Too often we lose people without them understanding our deepest regard for them. Or they just walk around feeling undervalued because we didn't express ourselves.

But as I saw that sign saying Never regret, I thought that's a bit impossible. If we live with risks, take chances to stretch ourselves, sometimes it won't work out well. We'd be crazy not to regret that wrong move that ended up with a broken bone or other mishap. We will find ourselves saying, "well I wish I hadn't done that."

So I do try to live without regret in a way that pushes me to places I would otherwise avoid, but allow myself regret when appropriate, when life doesn't work out.

Today Robin Williams died, probably at his own hand, his escape from depression. Suicide brings a host of regret from the person's loved ones, a tornado of "What ifs..."

But we can only live life forward. Perhaps Williams himself had a moment of regret before his life elapsed.

On a smaller scale in the world's eyes, a dear Christian leader in our denomination and his wife died taking their granddaughter home, and the child perished as well. Undoubtedly the mother and father of that three-year-old, grieving their daughter and parents, are full of what-ifs as well, but at least that leader and his wife lived life full on for God, and died without regret, instead of in despair.

Whether by our own hand in a swirl of depression or by tragic accident, our end looms uncertain. In every day we are gifted, let us truly live without regret, taking advantage of every opportunity, even more as the Day approaches, and when we fail, forgive ourselves easily and begin again. Herein lies the remedy for regret.