May 28, 2003

I watched some movie on tv yesterday that made me start thinking about the topic of "living with no regrets." As I pondered the subject, I concluded that most people usually look at that statement from one of two extremes. There are those that say, "I'm going to be very cautious about what I do so that I never have to say, 'I wish I HADN'T done that.'" And then there are those that say, "I'm going to jump on every opportunity that comes my way so that I never have to say, 'I wish I HAD done that.'" I feel like truely living with no regrets falls somewhere in the middle, along the lines of making wise decisions by THINKING first and weighing the consequences of your actions. I do feel that there is still room in life for some harmless spontaniety (take, for instance, riding home at 1:00 a.m. from St.Aug with friends for the heck of it!). And I also believe that you can dwell on a decision for too long. But overall, I think it's fair to say, "think before you act." Going back to the two extremes, the one who doesn't want to say, "I wish I HADN'T," will, in turn, eventually say, "I wish I HAD." The inverse also is true. The one who doesn't want to say, "I wish I HAD," will eventually say, "I wish I HADN'T." Concluding thought: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). Make wise choices!

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