There is no room for regret in one’s life. Choices, whether conscious or not, and their outcomes create that vessel we call our life. Those choices, and the things thrust upon us, fill the vessel with memories. The memories may be rich and vivid and lush or dark and harsh and painful. Chances are good there will be some of each. The vessel is cracked or broken, but it is better than no vessel at all. There is no room for regret. One cannot change the past. Neither can one be certain of the future. There is only now, this moment, this very instant.
It was so easy to write those words. It is impossible to live them, really live them. Regret can be contained, but it can never be conquered. We make bad, painful decisions that cannot be undone. We cannot help but regret them. We make stupid choices and have moments of weakness during which we allow ourselves to succumb to temptations we know at our core we should avoid. No matter how we try, we cannot completely forgive ourselves for those choices and those moments of weakness.
The best we can do is to acknowledge our regrets and let them guide us toward being better people. The worst we can do is allow regrets to fester, creating a sorry, empty, unhappy shell of a human being.
And on that happy note, I will end this early morning conversation with myself.