Ok I will bite- great question btw

the regrets-
1. I deeply regret having way too much to drink one night back in university. I went on a `cold call' visit to one of the guys dorms. After being rejected, I took the wrong exit door and ended up getting locked in the courtyard for hours at stupid o'clock in the morning. Finally someone heard me.... Despite the years my roommates have never let me live this one down. He was a cute twin and a football player in my defense.
2. stopping training after Ironman #2- I needed a break big time and two weeks, turned into two months, into two years. It has been a substantial battle back since....
3. buying a soft seat cover and using it for the first time during a half Iron. I could not pee without pain for weeks.....a newbie mistake, I should have known better.

the relive's-
1. marrying my ex-husband- through our marriage we produced three amazing kids
2. both ironman's- in the first I got back pieces of me that had been missing for decades- my athletic self, confidence and sexiness to name only a few. As well, I got connected to slowtwitch :) The second I really came to appreciate and understand that no matter how rough things get in my life- any part of it - I am not a quitter, I do the right thing and can keep my shit together. I need only remind myself of my mile 20 mantra `left right, left right ` to keep moving.
3. I lived in Japan for 6 months after graduate school. It was my degree from the university of life. I learned I could survive just about anywhere even with near no money. Indeed woman can survive on ramen, bread crusts and over ripe asian pears :)

that's my list!

Wish I hadn't done:
- not much really... ok, wish I hadn't bought the A4 wagon and just kept the A3 and the A6 wagon instead, love the new car but in retrospect, such a waste of money.
- wish I had kept the t/house and just rented it out when we moved. Would also be $$ further ahead.

So glad I did:
- Ending my marriage and taking the chance on someone amazing. Best. Decision. Ever.
- But glad the marriage did happen otherwise wouldn't have my amazing K!

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Regret:

1. Not taking the risk of really going away to college where I wanted to go. I was actively discouraged from leaving my state to go to college and I caved to the pressure.
2. Believing everyone when they told me I wasn't an athlete as a kid. Again, actively discouraged from sports and I didn't push back hard enough. I really missed out.
3. Some bad decisions in college I made while drinking that hurt other people. Hurting myself is one thing, other people is unacceptable.

Wouldn't change:
1. Picking my ass up and moving to Yellowstone in the summer of my Jr year in college. Best risk I ever took. That lead to all my other courageous decisions.
2. Breaking up with a long term boyfriend to move out on my own. It took a couple years but I found my husband because I had the guts to leave a bad relationship and not settle. Hubby and I have been together for 15 years now.
3. Deciding I didn't care what anyone said, I am an athlete.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

isn't it true that some of our greatest risks, boldest moves are our best relive's?

Redo:

1. I would not have gotten married at 26. (Not who, but when.) He is a great guy and we had an amicable divorce. But I didn't know myself at all in my 20s, though you couldn't have told me that. If I have a daughter, I'll encourage her to wait until at least 30.

2. I got my first dog 12 years ago and regret not taking both she and her sister. Two wouldn't have been that much more work, but twice the fun.

3. Taken the job offer with Shape Magazine out of college. Talked myself out of it by focusing on the many reasons I was scared. Now I would LOVE to be in the industry.

4. I was a cheerleader. Enough said.

Would do all over again:

1. Competitive swimming growing up. It shaped me as an athlete.

2. Entering (and getting in) the lottery for Kona never haven ridden further than 30 miles. My time was horribly slow, but I finished. And had one of the most memorable weeks of my life.

3. Living with my parents for four months while going through my divorce. It was a chance to know them better as people verses as my parents. We're much closer because of it.

Redo:

1) Waiting so long before trying to have children. It now looks like I won't be able to. :( But maybe that's the way it was meant to be.

2) Building my house. I wish I wouldn't have gotten a house yet because it's making me feel trapped and I'm still not exactly sure where I want to end up.

3) Not taking care of myself/dealing with my injuries when I was 25 - it caused me to lose almost 5 years of sport and my body has not gotten back to the level of fitness I had prior to being laid up and I don't know if it ever will.

4) Not trying harder to develop a better relationship with my brother. I wish I was closer to him.


Relive:

1) Calling my future husband a second time after we first met when he didn't call me back after the first call - he didn't get my message from his roommate. This was an out-of-the-ordinary action which I never did - normally if they didn't call me back the first time, I moved on. I can't imagine life without him.

2) All of the traveling and athletic endeavors I have taken. I continue to put play over work and I am happy about it. Maybe I'll change this to a redo when I'm older and want to take early retirement, but oh well.

3) Taking a few years to work in a kitchen and a coffee shop - I learned a lot and it was fun. I work in the social services field so had decided that I needed a break and it was a great decision. Because of those experiences, I have become a great cook and an even better baker/dessert-maker.

4) Moving to Canada. My tattoos. Getting married. Everything else that isn't under "redo."

I keep thinking about this but I think I am too young to have any in either column. Still thinking.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

i've been thinking about this, and as i've said before after surviving rough experiences, i'd absolutely do every single thing again the same way.

no regrets, simply because if i'd done anything differently, i wouldn't be where i am now - i have a really wonderful life (for all that i may occasionally moan and bitch), and a great deal of that is due to coincidence and unforeseeable circumstance.

example: my biggest "regret" would have been getting together with my ex-fiance, but since he's the one who brought me to edmonton (where i met my amazing husband), i actually owe a lot of my current happiness to that horribly damaging relationship.

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

for the second time around, I'd wish that I'd be more receptive to advices of people whom I had mistakenly considered nags, while I would keep the same thing on... I seriously cannot think of any right now!

Well, I feel the same way (sort of) and I'm ancient at 50. :)

Seriously I don't regret anything. Everything I've done, "wrong" or not, has shaped me into to what I am today. The best things in my life are my husband and kids and I'd redo them a million times over. My kids have taught me so much and allowed me to grow so much more than I ever would have without them.

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http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit

Regrets - the way I've broken up with a number of boyfriends/girlfriends because I was too immature to be honest with them.

Caving in to my father and not going into the Navy out of high school. I was going to get them to pay for my college and med school in exchange for a career with them. My father refused to sign the papers and I was only 17. I should have waited another year and done it on my own.

Redos - meeting my current SO. I can't even begin to tell how wonderful it's been and still is after almost 11 years.

So many of the trips to ski, climb, kayak and other outdoor adventures. Being outdoors nourishes my spirit in a way nothing else can.

Professionally, I wish I had been more complimentary to my co-workers in my youth. I find the more I publicly thank coworkers to senior leaders for projects we're involved with, the more I get promoted. I know it sounds funny but women actually being for women plays well in my industry and I love it as well.

Regrets? How do you know you married the right guy? I'm 52 and I'm not really sure. Because I'm financially independant, I'm not sure I need to be in this marriage. It doesn't seem to fit,

I've really loved reading this thread, great idea. I'm a 26/f and it's really interesting to hear all of your perspectives.

For sure regrets:

1. That one night in college known as "blue bucket night." 'nough said. I'll never drink tequila again.

2. running that half marathon in tri shorts/no underwear in the rain. Seriously, dumbest thing ever... don't do it! I thought my personal life would never recover. !!!

3. Not going to my high school prom. Sounds stupid, but I didn't go to any HS dances (I'm not a troll or anything, I just didn't give a shit at the time).

Kind of don't regret/maybe not-so-sure:

leaving grad school and moving home when my dad got sick with terminal cancer. I got to spend more time with him, I helped out with bills, insurance, sit in the hospital for a year. He was a writer, dictated his memoirs to me, couldn't imagine missing that. But on the flip side, my life has never been the same... sometimes I wish I didn't have to see everything, so up-close, and that I could go back to just being a dumb kid.

But, ask me this question again in ten years...

Thanks for the thread.

Fun thread here. . .while there are some negative things I have contemplated writing that I would have preferred turn out differently, this afternoon at Whole Foods reminded me of another story that (jokingly) I would love to redo!

Four summers ago I took what should have been the trip of my life to Austria and the Czech Republic, performing with a youth orchestra. Both were things I never imagined I would have the privilege of experiencing less than a year prior. Unfortunately, the first half of the trip in Austria was a disaster. So on a temperate European morning a few days in, we load up on the bus to drive into the Czech Republic; I'm frowning in disbelief over the previous night's events, and immersing myself in Dvorak Symphony No. 6. I was wishing I was out on those beautiful rural roads riding my bike away, instead of resting my head on the indifferent window, which was not the finest pillow for supporting a desperate reverie.

We crossed the border and stopped in Znojmo to take a break. While Znojmo actually has a lot to offer to tourists, we stopped in a poor town, whose center fountain featured two appropriately dead, floating birds.

By then it was almost noon, and further inside the province an open market had nearly finished departing for the day. One man was left selling fresh foods, and I bought from him the biggest container of Gooseberries that 41 Czech crowns could afford. Barely a few US cents, I was the childishly-grinning owner of a box the size of a grocery store hand-cart!

Regrouped and bused into Prague, our hotel (waaay) on the outskirts seemed eerily left over from communist Russia & KGB influence. . .creepy cameras everywhere, and (especially) odd policies with regards to possession of our passports.

Nonetheless, the second half of the trip turned out for the better. I have some wonderful memories of the few days we had. Our last performance there was by far the best, too.

The kicker. . .is that I left that whole damn box in the closet of the hotel!

(And I should have kissed that cute percussionist, too. Well, maybe not.)

It's a good day to focus on light-hearted memories for a change. Whole Foods had a closeout on a gooseberry spread, and I couldn't resist. . . =)