No Regrets?
Living a life without regrets is a good motto to go by in my mind. It means that I go about things with the right attitude and put in my best effort so that at the end of the day I'm not left thinking, "What if I only tried harder?" It means I put my faith and hope in things that won't let me down - which pretty much means trusting in God. I have a shirt that says "Jesus is my co-pilot" but really it should say "Jesus is my pilot." If He's in full control of my life, then there isn't anything that I will do that I'll regret. But...it's really hard to do because reflecting back on my life, I realize I do have a lot of regrets. There are a number of examples that I can think of where I wish I did something instead or even worse, didn't do something.
Things I Wish I did or didn't do... (in no particular order)
1. Not learn to speak Cantonese
I'll have to clarify this with my parents someday but I remember that they tried to enroll me in Saturday morning Chinese school as a child and that somehow it didn't work out. I was under the assumption that I made such a fuss every time they took me that they just gave up (I picture myself holding on to the car door for dear life with both hands as my mom tries to pull me off to drop me off in the morning). Why do I regret this now? Well, I see nothing but good stemming from being multilingual. Sure, I would have had to give up Saturday morning cartoons or whatever I did on Saturday mornings (actually, I think I ended up practicing piano instead so maybe it would have been better to go in hindsight) but the benefits of knowing a second language is invaluable IMO. A prime example is being able to communicate effectively with my grandparents. Knowing Cantonese would enable me to speak to them so freely and probably develop a better relationship. It would even help with sharing the gospel with them as well.
Luckily, it's not too late for me to learn now. It might be much harder but not impossible...
2. Not finishing up my piano
If my mom read this, she would definitely have the "last laugh". Unfortunately for me, taking piano lessons growing up was more of a traumatic experience than a cherished one. Part of this was my own fault. But anyway, regardless of why they are not a fond memory of mine, I do regret not finishing my grade 10. I quit right before writing my grade 9 exam to make a point - to spite my parents in fact. To me, it was a way of showing that I was in control. I remember thinking to myself at the time, "So you think you can still dictate my life? Well you're wrong and I'll prove it by quitting piano and there's absolutely nothing you can do." And so whoopdeedoo. I was right. I quit and there really wasn't anything they could do about it. My mom told me that it was a huge waste since I was like a month away from writing the practical part of the exam and I had already done all the history and harmony required. But I didn't care.
The irony behind this is that I now fully appreciate my opportunity to take music lessons. All those years of piano and theory has given me a general understanding of music and has helped in my appreciation of music. It has also allowed me to learn the guitar and just worship God through music. None of that would be possible if I didn't have some music background (or at least not as easily). In fact, I tell my friends now that I will "force" my kids to learn a musical instrument as well. It definitely is an invaluable skill and studies even show it helps with brain and motor development as well. Similar to learning Cantonese, it isn't impossible to go back and complete my grade 10 piano. It would be super super hard to get back into it after so many years but who knows?
3. Not playing football in high school
Okay, so this is one that truly will remain a regret since I can't go back in time. But ya, wish I played football and hurt some people back then. I don't know if it's because i'm a guy or because i'm just sick and twisted but I really wanted to get on that field and to be not only permitted to, but encouraged to hit someone as hard as I could. Linebacker would have been the position of choice but I guess cornerback would have been okay. Oh well.
4. Buying Farmland Choc Chip Cookies
Worst cookies ever. Nuff said.
5. Eating Farmland Choc Chip Cookies
Okay, so I'm super cheap and I hate wasting food. So I leave them sitting on my desk while i study with hopes that I will get hungry/desperate enough to eat them. It's working ever so slowly. So I guess this isn't really a regret in itself but more of a reminder of #4 - buying them in the first place.
The list really goes on. Little things happen everyday when I wish I said something or didn't say something to someone. I'm not sure if I will ever reach that point where I'm truly living a life with no regrets but it's definitely something to strive for.
Things I Wish I did or didn't do... (in no particular order)
1. Not learn to speak Cantonese
I'll have to clarify this with my parents someday but I remember that they tried to enroll me in Saturday morning Chinese school as a child and that somehow it didn't work out. I was under the assumption that I made such a fuss every time they took me that they just gave up (I picture myself holding on to the car door for dear life with both hands as my mom tries to pull me off to drop me off in the morning). Why do I regret this now? Well, I see nothing but good stemming from being multilingual. Sure, I would have had to give up Saturday morning cartoons or whatever I did on Saturday mornings (actually, I think I ended up practicing piano instead so maybe it would have been better to go in hindsight) but the benefits of knowing a second language is invaluable IMO. A prime example is being able to communicate effectively with my grandparents. Knowing Cantonese would enable me to speak to them so freely and probably develop a better relationship. It would even help with sharing the gospel with them as well.
Luckily, it's not too late for me to learn now. It might be much harder but not impossible...
2. Not finishing up my piano
If my mom read this, she would definitely have the "last laugh". Unfortunately for me, taking piano lessons growing up was more of a traumatic experience than a cherished one. Part of this was my own fault. But anyway, regardless of why they are not a fond memory of mine, I do regret not finishing my grade 10. I quit right before writing my grade 9 exam to make a point - to spite my parents in fact. To me, it was a way of showing that I was in control. I remember thinking to myself at the time, "So you think you can still dictate my life? Well you're wrong and I'll prove it by quitting piano and there's absolutely nothing you can do." And so whoopdeedoo. I was right. I quit and there really wasn't anything they could do about it. My mom told me that it was a huge waste since I was like a month away from writing the practical part of the exam and I had already done all the history and harmony required. But I didn't care.
The irony behind this is that I now fully appreciate my opportunity to take music lessons. All those years of piano and theory has given me a general understanding of music and has helped in my appreciation of music. It has also allowed me to learn the guitar and just worship God through music. None of that would be possible if I didn't have some music background (or at least not as easily). In fact, I tell my friends now that I will "force" my kids to learn a musical instrument as well. It definitely is an invaluable skill and studies even show it helps with brain and motor development as well. Similar to learning Cantonese, it isn't impossible to go back and complete my grade 10 piano. It would be super super hard to get back into it after so many years but who knows?
3. Not playing football in high school
Okay, so this is one that truly will remain a regret since I can't go back in time. But ya, wish I played football and hurt some people back then. I don't know if it's because i'm a guy or because i'm just sick and twisted but I really wanted to get on that field and to be not only permitted to, but encouraged to hit someone as hard as I could. Linebacker would have been the position of choice but I guess cornerback would have been okay. Oh well.
4. Buying Farmland Choc Chip Cookies
Worst cookies ever. Nuff said.
5. Eating Farmland Choc Chip Cookies
Okay, so I'm super cheap and I hate wasting food. So I leave them sitting on my desk while i study with hopes that I will get hungry/desperate enough to eat them. It's working ever so slowly. So I guess this isn't really a regret in itself but more of a reminder of #4 - buying them in the first place.
The list really goes on. Little things happen everyday when I wish I said something or didn't say something to someone. I'm not sure if I will ever reach that point where I'm truly living a life with no regrets but it's definitely something to strive for.
Labels: Personal Reflection
posted by Matt at 5:49 AM
1 Comments:
Awesome... I am right there with you re: football. Can't tell you how many times I wish I would have played. Corner would have been my position of choice. I guess there is always Madden. Long live the dream.
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