Do you have regrets about any choices you have made in your life?
Yes, me too.
I suspect there are few of us who haven’t gone down a path that seemed right at the time; only later we realized it wasn’t the right one for us.
Have you ever made a choice by not making a choice?
Guilty.
Fear is a great contributor to these passive choices: fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of what other people might think.
Do you ever wish you hadn’t let an opportunity pass you by?
I do.
I wish I had gone to University and gotten a Degree in Creative Writing; I wish I had kept the tiny house in Saskatchewan where Mom grew up; I wish I hadn’t wasted so much effort wondering what other people thought of me.
You know what? It’s not too late.
It is not too late to change direction, to head back toward that fork in the road where you got off course. It’s not too late to stand up for yourself , to make the tough choices that will change your life. And it’s not too late to pursue those dreams that are as yet unfulfilled.
Just ask one of these people:
- 90-year-old Elmer Rothman who received his high school diploma from the Haddonfield Memorial High School in Maple Shade, NJ this week.
- 90-year-old Ellen Nizzi who received a degree in creative writing last month from Eckerd campus in St. Petersburg, FL last month.
- 90-year-old Helen Small who obtained her Master of Science degree from the University of Texas in 2010.
- 95-year-old Earlene Harvey-Morris who received an honorary high school diploma from Falkville High School in 2010.
I suspect all of these people would tell you that it’s not too late for you either.
What do you think about in the wee hours of the morning when you’re laying awake? What regrets roll around in your mind at unexpected times? What are your “if only” and “I wish” thoughts?
It’s an interesting paradox that the older I get the more I realize it’s not too late to take hold of those dreams I once put aside.
It’s not too late for you either.
“It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” George Eliot
“Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” Mary Tyler Moore
OOh, the many “If I’d only” and “I wish I had.” I can’t count all of the times I have uttered these phrases. I wanted to get a Master’s Degree when I was 40 years old. Pregnant with our 3rd child, I decided at my age it would be all I could do to chase 3 rag-a-muffins. Now 20 years later, I’m still 20 years older but still do not have my Masters. Oh…what if…
Great post; lots of good food for thought.
I really appreciate you reminding me that I don’t have those regrets. I did what I wanted in my work life, and now I’m doing what I want in my retired years. Fortunately for me, I did all the traveling and creating I could handle during those working years, and now a nice routine with a challenge here and there is doing it for me.
Tomorrow, heading up to the High Country with snowshoes to find out what’s going on up there. Cool!
You inspire me, DJan.
that is so awesome them going back to school …..
I went back to finish a college degree I had started in 1969. I was 53 at the time and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. And now, at 62, I’m taking piano lessons – something I’d wanted to do at 8. You’re right. It’s never too late.
I was 42 when I started a new life after a painful divorce. 48 when I graduated with an MFA degree in creative writing. 46 when I became a full-time caregiver. Occasionally I ask: what if–my daughter hadn’t turned left on that green light and smashed into that small pickup? What if I hadn’t moved across country when I was 42? But I only play around lightly with such thoughts. I just try to focus on the present where life is to be lived.
Thanks for a provocative post!
Hi Linda,
I’m just catching up on all your posts! Love this message here. I became a family nurse practitioner at the age of 50 and have experienced a total fulfillment of a life long dream for the past 15 years. Now at 65, I dream of publishing. truly, it is never too late. Thanks for this wonderful reminder 🙂