Regret is a wasted emotion - I've heard say. There is nothing we can do about the past ... but learn from it.
On my recent Hawaiian vacation, I felt a tinge of regret. Sitting on the beach, I watched families with young children playing in the sand. One family in particular caught my eye: they had three active children, among them a daughter about 10 years old, in a wheelchair.
How hard was it for you to make this trip to Hawaii? I wondered. Bringing a child in a wheelchair must have been a challenge.
It reminded me of my father and one of his dreams. He had never been to Hawaii, but several times suggested - in a vague way: We should have a family reunion in Hawaii. It would be great to have everyone - all the grandchildren - there together.
I remember thinking: That would be hard. How would we pull that off? We all had different jobs, different responsibilities, different timetables. It sounded nice - but impossible - to me.
My father mentioned it several times, but it never happened. Perhaps none of us showed enough enthusiasm. Perhaps it seemed too hard at the time. In any event, it never moved beyond his "Wouldn't it be nice if..." comment.
Sitting on the beach, I thought of him and how he would have enjoyed the blue ocean, the palm trees, the balmy air, and his five grandchildren playing on a golden sand.
How often we are inspired to do something out of the ordinary - but hold back. Is it fear? Or simply too much effort?
My father's grandchildren are all grown now, and my father is no longer with us. There is no point regretting what we didn't do - but instead remember all the times we did and could enjoy each other.
But it did remind me how important it is not to wait for the right time, the perfect opportunity, to follow my heart - but to step out and embrace every crazy impossible dream and just do it: have fun with those I hold dear.
Life's journey is short, and we will not pass this way again...
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