No regrets! Well, maybe a few

I regret not telling you sooner that I have a personally autographed photo of the Cartwrights.  Such an exciting aspect of my life that I've kept hidden until now.

I regret not telling you sooner that I have a personally autographed photo of the Cartwrights. Such an exciting aspect of my life that I’ve kept hidden until now.

A friend once said to me, “I make it a policy to never regret.” She said this after I asked how she liked her new living situation of sharing a home with her friend. When I told Jerry about her reply to me, he said, “Ohh! She regrets.”

Whether we admit it or not, we all have regrets. Of course, it’s best to move on and not dwell on what-could-have-been.

I regret very few things in my life. That said, here are the ones I do.

1. I regret taking showers in 7th grade P.E.  Why did I feel I had to submit to authority and strip naked? I really didn’t exercise that much, so I didn’t need a shower. No matter. I was forced to stand in line au naturel with other junior high girls, all of us dripping wet while holding a towel the size of a toilet paper square. The P.E. teachers checked us over to make sure we showered.  If we weren’t wet to their satisfaction, we were sent back to the showers. I regret I didn’t go to a parochial school where no one had to get naked for any of their teachers.

Teenagers today don't have to strip naked for their teachers. That's why they're smiling.

Teenagers today don’t have to strip naked in P.E. And they get to fly on fun rings. No wonder they’re smiling.

2. I regret the day Mr. Bishop, my eighth grade history teacher, announced a summer trip to Washington D.C. for all students in his classes. We would need, he said, our parents signed permission to go, plus three-thousand dollars. I pleaded with my dad to let me go on this trip, but he said to me, “What d’ya think? I’m made of money?”

3. I regret my dad wasn’t made of money.

Why didn't my dad have flying money to spend on summer school trips like all my friend's dads?

Why didn’t my dad have lots of money to spend on summer school trips like all my friends’ dads?

4. I regret that I never had a dog as a child. I wanted a real live chimpanzee, but when that didn’t seem to work out for me, I decided to settle for a dog. I pleaded with my dad for a dog. He gave some kind of reason that hardly made sense at the time. “Dogs need a lot of care.” Well I could give dogs a lot of care, I told him. Then he said, “No.”

5.  I regret ever putting on platform shoes.

6. I regret I forgot to put the lid on the coffee pot this morning causing the coffee to spill on the counter. The coffee remaining in the pot tasted sludgy.

Really? I need to put a lid on the pot or I get this kind of mess?

Really? I need to put a lid on the pot or I get this kind of mess?

7. I regret regretting.

8. I regret never living on a ranch in Texas. See my picture below of my dream home. I drew it when I was eight or nine.

Can't you envision the joy of sipping lemonade on the front porch? Those doors with 1, 2, 3, are  rooms for my hired hands.

Can’t you envision the joy of sipping lemonade on the front porch? Those doors with 1, 2, 3, are rooms for my hired hands.

9. I regret gulping down the sludgy coffee this morning. I didn’t feel energized to make another pot. Why does the lid have to be on anyway?

10. I regret taking Spanish for five years and not having any reason to speak the language ever. For this reason, if I happen to call you Señorita, or Señor, or Chica, or Chiquita Bonita~humor me. I’m trying to make my five years of studying Spanish have meaning and purpose. Gracias mi amigos.

11. I regret being polite to the friend who invited me to her house for lunch. In her kitchen, she said cheerfully while serving her delectable creation, “I thought I’d be adventurous and so I made octopus salad.” Oh I hoped she was kidding so I could laugh, “Ha, ha, you had me there. For a second I thought you were serious.” But no! She really made octopus salad. Politely, I chewed the rubbery tentacles and tried to smile while forcing myself to swallow. Now you’ll understand if you should ever say the word “octopus” to me and I race for the door and shriek maniacally.

Whenever I see an octopus, I think of salad.

Whenever I see an octopus, I think of salad.

12. I regret learning algebra. All those x’s and y’s and equals for what? I have never used or needed algebra once in my life. I haven’t even needed to write the word “algebra” until now.

Who uses algebra and why?

Who uses algebra and why?

13. I regret taking a summer Home Ec class. The dress fabric had a colorful flair. After many grueling hours on the sewing machine, I completed my summer dress. At home I put it on and it split down both sides the second I moved. I knew then I would need to learn Spanish, a more worthwhile subject than sewing.

14. I regret answering a Craigslist ad for Himalayan-mix kittens. Well, they’re not Himalayan-mix. They’re Siamese and they’re bossy. I can’t tell you how much of our life is devoted to meeting their needs. If I only had a dog…

Awww, you're not bossy, are you?

Awww, you’re not bossy, are you?

 

 

Adios, Buenos Noches, y Paz en la Tierra. (p.s. we actually love our bossy cats, they only bite us if we don’t do what they demand.)

3 thoughts on “No regrets! Well, maybe a few

  1. Linda Cottrell Myers

    Hello Bronwyn. I am a long forgotten friend from North Bend. I was delighted to find your blog and learn that you are living in AZ. I have been here for 22 years and would love to see you. Please respond.

    Reply
  2. Kathy

    I can totally relate to some of your regrets, one in particular the cats! The cats rule the roost here and keeps our little 12 lb dog in check. But I wouldn’t enjoy life nearly as much without them. They make me smile. 🙂 Keep up the good work, Bronwyn. Look forward to all your writings!!!! xoxoxo

    Reply
    1. Bronwyn Wilson Post author

      Thanks! I appreciate your kind words very much. I sometimes think I’m writing to myself as I’m not sure if anyone is reading. I’m afraid I might start commenting to myself also, which would probably result in me telling myself things I don’t want to hear! 🙂

      Reply

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