Regret Nothing

When I was 7 I had long straight hair and for some reason, I don’t remember why, I wanted to cut my hair.  My Mom told me that if she let me have my hair cut, I’d “regret it later”.  I didn’t know what that meant and when she told me, I didn’t believe her.  I wore her down and eventually she did cut my hair.  Although I didn’t really regret cutting my hair at the time, I have done a lot of things throughout my life which I have regretted.

I know I’m not alone, many of us live with regret, however, I’ve learned recently that regret is an ugly insipid, devouring, unrelenting waste of time.  There will always be deeds that we wished we could undo, however, we never can and it’s a waste of time thinking of what could have been.  Also, what we are today is because of what has happened in the past; it has made us what we are today. 

Don’t get me wrong, I know there may be some things that may have happened in our past that were “regrettable”; things that may have been out of our control and perhaps just plain wrong.  But when we make it past that, work through it, and refuse to let it turn us bitter or ugly, it really speaks about our strength, resilience and fortitude.  In the end, the victory belongs to us and not to the circumstance or to the person who inflicted us.

If you are full of regret, take this time to talk to someone about it and then let it go.  If you’re a person who has blessedly worked through your regret and let it go, pass on your wisdom and gently help someone else through it.  Don’t let that circumstance oppress you, use it instead to propel you and others.  I am thanking you in advance.

-Tessa L. Charles