A friend of mine worked as a hospice nurse for many years. She has a few remarkable stories of people in their final days having visions and even conversations with loved ones—some of whom passed before them. In one case, a man had a lengthy and emotional talk with his son who was seated at the end of his bed. The two men cried and forgave each other for their broken relationship. The thing is, his son was in prison in another state so there’s no way that conversation could have happened.
Or could it?
But most of my friend’s stories aren’t so much remarkable as they are instructive, especially when it comes to the one thing we all want to avoid: regrets.
She made it a point to ask people in their final days about their regrets. Some were reluctant to talk about them, but many were happy somebody asked. She kept a small notebook with her and jotted them down, determined that when her time came, she wouldn’t have similar ones. Her pocket-sized notebook filled up quickly, but she narrowed down the list of regrets to ten.
- I wish I had traveled more.
- I should have spent more time with loved ones.
- I wish I hadn’t been so scared to try new things.
- I should have taken better care of myself.
- I should have quit that terrible job.
- I wish I had told that girl I loved her.
- I wish I hadn’t been so selfish when I was young.
- I wish I had learned to play an instrument or speak another language.
- I wish I had let go of relationships that had run their course.
- I wish I hadn’t gotten so caught up in people’s drama.
Wow. I see a few things there. Do you?
Listen friends, regrets cannot be avoided. A lot of us wish we had zigged instead of zagged. It’s natural, even healthy. In fact, embracing regret is an important part of creating a peaceful present.
Like most things in life, how you choose to deal with regret is what matters.
And if there’s still time, take that trip, quit that job, pick up the guitar, ditch the drama and tell that person how you feel.
I guarantee this. You won’t regret it.
