What do you wish you knew when you were younger?
A dear blogger friend asked me to write my thoughts about this in a post and at first I thought, thanks but I’ll get to it when I can. Then I started reading the collection of bittersweet thoughts and sentiments from a few brave souls who took on this seemingly subtle but intense challenge and a burst of inspiration showed up, unannounced, uninvited and unexpected and not taking no for an answer. It shoved my other priorities aside to make room for the urge to write from the heart. Oh how stubborn and selfish the heart can be, how unreasonable on an idle Tuesday afternoon, and in this case, how ironic, dropping all else to take a trip down memory lane to recount its own silly mistakes, its near regrets, its long wishes, and its sincere apologies to the self.
Alas, I have learned to follow this stubborn, unreasonable, selfish heart to the end of the world and back so there’s no refusing it this small request now. But panic not, my dear readers! I will guard the flow of thoughts, keep my promised attempt at brevity in this post and rest assured I shall not be getting naked on my blog or delve into the adventures of a naked blogger in this process. (The naked theme is running like wildfires through blogosphere lately, thanks to the up and coming super women bloggers, both of whom I count among my dear friends, Jean and Katie!)
Alright, shall we get on with the wish list then?
I wish I had always felt proud and not ashamed of my roots, my name and my nationality.
I wish I did not care, as I do now, what anyone thought about me, my accent and my awkward ways in high school.
I wish I had kept up with my French on a daily basis, reading 10 minutes aloud as Dr. Bednar begged me to do. I am paying for it now but thank God my love for French is of the undying kind.
I wish I had kept up with my mother tongue. I still speak it fluently but the beautiful Persian writing skills of that 12-year old girl are long since gone.
I wish I had never lost my childhood friends. Now that I have found them, I will never lose them again.
I really wish I had started feeding my insatiable desire of traveling a long time ago…..so many reasons and so many excuses but in the end, I waited. Now, I cannot seem to satisfy this famished heart, no matter what I do. I cannot stop romancing with travel in my mind and I wonder if I can ever be completely full.
I wish I had picked up and gone to live somewhere far away by myself for any period of time. Now it is a bittersweet wonder thinking about the chances I never took.
I wish I had been braver. Not in matters of the heart, I was plenty brave there! In matters of choosing how I live, where I live, and what I do for a living.
Oh how I wish I had been more adventurous in what I do for a living. Now I have a lifetime of work to feed yet another famished desire on the brink of starvation.
I wish I had learned to forgive earlier in my life. I wish I knew its healing powers are truly for the one who forgives.
I wish I had not let family nonsense create years of distance between me and my cousins. Now it would take an army of men and an act of God to even try and separate us.
I wish I had written down every single memory of my grandfathers so I wouldn’t have to beg my parents to fill the aching gaps. If only I had recordings of their perfect voices. I wish I just remembered more.
I wish I had taken care of my body when it broke down in the face of injuries, rather than stubbornly pressing on. I wish I had been kinder to myself.
I wish I had read more classics and less business books after college and in the years which followed. Now I will never be caught up!
I wish I had been more patient and less judgmental of the love of my life, my best half, my partner and my friend. Now I delight in making it up to him for the rest of my days.
I wish I knew how to just drop an argument when I can hardly remember what on earth I was arguing about two days later. Only heartache remains after a silly quarrel or even an intense one. The most bitter lesson of all for the intimate relationships of our life!
I wish I had found my yoga yearning when I needed it the most, in my early 20s.
I wish I had given less of myself to work and more of myself to me.
I wish I had reflected more often, listened inwardly more carefully and followed my heart more unconditionally.
Alas, we live and learn. The most important things turned out just fine. The rest shaped the edges of my personality and gave me determination for living life on my terms now. With all this wishful thinking, even if I could, I should not be able to bear to turn back the hands of time and make adjustments to what is already lived and done with. I do not have the guts to leave this moment for even a second, lest I come back to find it even slightly changed from its perfect pure present state.
I think decisions of our early youth, no matter where we fall on the wishful thinking scale, are bound to us with a sense of longing and tenderness. We think of the young, all-knowing, all-encompassing spirit we used to be and we can hardly blame ourselves. We did the best we could at the time with best of intentions, a good heart and the tools at our disposal. If we had followed the advise of our elders, we would to this day be wondering what if we had not! If we had taken too many risks, we may be looking back with nostalgia at the safer road to adulthood and if we had followed along with less risks and safer choices, we would be wondering about the unexplored adventures we must’ve missed out on.
There is just no winning at this game. There is no way to know what would’ve been or could’ve been. Regrets are pointless. What is done is done. Whatever happened happened (yes I did steal that from LOST!)! There is only a path ahead, a life to live, lessons to learn and an evolution of the mind and heart which eventually leads us to exactly where we need to be and precisely whom we are meant to become.
Share your beautiful thoughts
On a topic where no one is an expert but everyone has something to add, I await your beautiful thoughts, your reactions, and wait with baited breath to read any of your own self-reflections that you wish to share in the comments. Thank you!
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{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }
Farnoosh,
This is what I call A Post From The Heart…that hits one right in there—the heart.
I was expecting no less from you.
Thank you so much for this Life Lessons post and I can sooo relate to some of these lessons myself.
By the way didn’t I tell you that you have you have your own “twisters” in your writing toolbox and see, how right I was.
Abubakar,
I am glad I passed my test and with flying colors too, it seems. It was very fun and yet bittersweet to write this post but I love being a part of larger projects and you have started quite the movement with this theme. Thank you for the compliments and all the support!
You are very welcome.
Thank you.
Ahh, Farnoosh you bring a tear to my eye. I have so many similar wishes and as I read yours, I realize two things. (1) We are definitely soul sisters, and (2) I am seeing more and more that you are living an amazing life and the fact that you share it with your readers is a gift. All of your experiences, regrets and challenges have made you this wonderful, open and honest person who knows how to express herself so beautifully and poetically. I, too, would not want to go back and have anything change. I am content with the mistakes, the failures, the choices I made and the paths I did not take because right now, I am joyful for everything. I wish I knew earlier that this kind of bliss was right there all along.
Katie, my dear friend, I have never had a sister so the notion of soul sisters is awfully sweet. Thank you so much for your lovely thoughts here, you are as always much too kind but I’ll take the compliments – I love that you see all of that in me through just my writing – and you know now I can’t wait to read your list, for which I am sure we don’t have to twist your arms, right?!
I am right there with you – the present is pure and perfect. I am glad we have finally arrived at a place to find so much bliss, as you say. Smiles!
Farnoosh,
You have to be one of the classiest and passionate writers ever.
I love your writing and how you’ve allowed yourself to leave your words unbridled on the page.
You make me want to know more of what you have yet to experience!
I’m quite excited about getting started on mine now!
Tony, go on! I can hear you talk about my writing all day
!
Thank you my dear friend, and I wait very much to read your list. The best is yet to come they say. I think it’s most true for us bloggers here. Thanks for the support and get on with that list!
Hi Farnoosh, thanks for sharing what you wished you have done or learned about before. I think this was a nice list of self-reflections that you came up with here. Honestly, we can never know what we yearn for when we get older, so that’s why I think it’s best to try out as many new things that we can when we are younger.
Nevertheless, I still think you have done a lot of things that people have not done or have not had the chance to do. I also think you have had a lot of experience in life that I see as big accomplishments.
One of the things I wish I knew earlier in life was just the blogging world. I was never really interested in it in the beginning or knew anything about it until after college. I like what you said at the end. That regrets are pointless. Great message and great post Farnoosh!
Hulbert, you are still such a baby – if you had gotten into blogging a few years ago, what would have had to go? That’s the question my husband asks when I go down the “I wish…” path – plus, I really think your timing is ideal. Look at the people you are interviewing now and the energy on your blog.
It’s very perceptive of you to see what you describe here. I am so happy you enjoyed this. Are you doing your own list anytime soon, perhaps a break in between interviews?
Farnoosh,
I can see many of us are going back and writing about past and what we have learned. It is an amazing exercise to see how much we have progressed and improved upon.
Although I recently wrote about learning from history in my recent post, learning from our own past holds true key to ourselves. Thanks for sharing your inner soul with us. I got to know you even better.
Preeti, yes it’s been a theme in a lot of blogs now thanks to our friend’s suggestion. Learning from world history is serious stuff, that’s what we really need to watch out for. And learning from ourselves, well that just make for such a better tomorrow. Thank you for being here!
Oh Farnoosh, I keep thinking what is the next step with all this knowing.
I am reading this;” Oh how I wish I had been more adventurous in what I do for a living. Now I have a lifetime of work to feed yet another famished desire on the brink of starvation” and this “I wish I had given less of myself to work and more of myself to me.”
What is keeping you in this work and what is keeping you from changing it?
The value of this list for me is how can I move forward with what I have written?
xox Wilma
Dear Wilma, lovely to see you pop up here. What am I doing for a living and why can’t I move on? Great question – one that is too long for a comment here but suffice it to say that I am making changes to take a huge leap of faith. I think having bare financial minimums allows me to move into paths that may not be so profitable but oh so enjoyable. I’ll keep these questions in mind, I promise! Thank you!
I’m going to come back tomorrow, read this again, and reflect on it, and perhaps post some reflections on my own blog over the holiday weekend. But I can tell you what my biggest regret is, at age 57: it’s that I never developed any real sense of self-assurance. Much of that, but not all of it, was because of the way I was raised. I had a malicious and abusive mother who never wasted an opportunity to remind me that I was a monstrous burden to her, and that she regarded me with bottomless contempt. Moreover, between the two of them, my parents could never say enough about how stupid and incompetent they thought I was. That has left some scars which, unfortunately, are never going to heal, and I accept that now. But I would never wish that on anyone.
Perhaps rather oddly, it wasn’t until I became involved with ballroom dancing less than four years ago that I realized this was my #1 regret in life. I had a wonderful instructor who, perhaps because her own background was in many ways similar to my own, treated me with sensitivity and understanding even as she taught me a skill so utterly unlike anything I had ever attempted before. It would be too much to say that she gave me the gift of self-confidence, but she DID give me a taste of what my life might have been like if I had developed that at an early age.
Garry, there are no adequate words of which I can think to respond here. I am deeply sorry for your growing pains at such sensitive age (a period of years it seems). I do not understand why people who are not fit to become parents opt for this option and how it is possible to treat an innocent child with anything but love and understanding. I do not have any children but there is no excuse for what you parents did and no blame at all and most of all, (most of all), no truth to it. Dancing is HUGE in self-confidence department. I love Argentine tango and I highly encourage you to never leave the dance floor of your life. Thanks for being here and for sharing your thoughts.
Garry,
“That has left some scars which, unfortunately, are never going to heal, and I accept that now.”
NEVER?
I know how painful it can be, I can empathize with you but I don’t for one second believe that you do not have the inner strength and maturity to not only go beyond those scars but actually draw energy from them and create massive change for yourself and for those around you.
Need an example? Check Wayne Dyer’s life history.
If he can why can’t you?
As they say, “Never say Never.” But it is a belief and if you do believe in never then never it will be. I really hope you go beyond that.
My heart goes out to you. All the best.
Farnoosh, this is so intimate and beautiful that it makes me want to give you a big hug. The child in me recognizes the child in you and smiles at her
If I could change anything in my life, it is that I would have chosen kindness more often, both for others and myself.
Jean, big hug back to you. We must get used to this mode of transfer of affection in our world and I really felt yours come through. More kindness indeed. My grandmother used to preach this to me, whatever I do, show kindness in my actions. I like to think I do that as much as possible now but more can never hurt! Thank you!
Farnoosh … Amazing and so eloquent. What a beautiful post. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and insights. I was particularly moved by one of your last points about giving less of yourself to work and more of yourself to you. Those words are so poignant and such a great pointer to the truth we all need to really live and experience all that life has to offer. I think when we really are able to look within and find our own answers, we are reminded of some of the most important things we need … and that takes time and reflection. Thanks again for an amazing post.
Sibyl, you are amazing yourself. Your list was the last one I read before I was pushed to do this! And yes, giving less to work – at which I have been a master in the recent years while still doing a very good job – and yet, the years when we never thought about it, oh the regrets of that all-knowing young professional!! Thanks so much for the encouragement and for re-emphasizing points that I hope everyone will take away from this list!
Farnoosh, Your writing stands out as among the most elegant of the blogosphere. This is what I wish I knew when I was younger: the illusory nature of the universe. Just this one core understanding can powerfully transform anyone’s life!
Dear Sandra, thank you for the grandest of all compliments. And really a beautiful thing to wish for – I don’t think I still can appreciate the illusory nature of the universe but I look forward to learning more every day about it.
Farnoosh,
I wish I could write like you.
You make me think and feel.
Thank you.
You’re fun,
Jim
Jim, you can write like you and when you find your own writing voice, you wouldn’t want to write like anyone else – but I know it’s a compliment, so thank you!!!!
Hi Farnoosh, it’s easy to feel like it would have been nice if we knew then what we know now, but that’s just how journeys work. We learn and discover new ways of thinking and acting along the way. The process never stops as long as we are moving through life with awareness and a desire to learn. It’s this wonderful unfolding process that makes life so wonderful. That’s something that simply can’t be rushed. Please believe me when I say that you are way, way, way ahead of the curve!
Wonderful unfolding process. Beautifully put Jonathan. And I will believe you
! I can’t dispute anything coming from a man of such knowledge and wisdom such as yourself and there is no arguing with any of the brilliant points you make here. Thank you for your contribution to the post!
Thanks for sharing. That wish list can be duplicated for almost all of us with small tweaks here and there!!! Makes one think a bit.
Mystica, glad you enjoyed it – I am sure we have our own lists but then a lot of similarity among them too! Glad I made you think nonetheless!!
Hello Farnoosh. This is such a wonderful list. So personal and clearly from the heart- I love it. The great thing about this type of reflection is that you can switch from wishes about the past to appreciating the lessons learned up to this point. And we can share those lessons with others as well as making use of them in our daily lives. Much love to you.
Dear Nea, thank you for your love and support – and yes, I am definitely in the phase of appreciating the lessons and sharing them, writing them out, reading them back and remembering them is the best way to live the lessons. Thank you for being here and for sharing your thoughts! Big e-hug { } !
Hi Farnoosh.
Before I connect with the post, I would mention that you have the energy and appearance of someone who is early in life. I’ll take your article title as referring to even earlier.
I like that about being part of your name, nationality, and such. We have to be this way. All our good qualities are in these features, and so to look at them with any sort of disdain takes away from how full of gratitude we could and should be.
I hear you about being braver. When I look back at any thoughts of the past, any places where I took some risk are always fine with me, but where I didn’t take them is where I can only look with wonder as to what would have been in place. Having less sources of “what if” is a good thing, and that requires bravery.
That family nonsense and distance one makes sense. I might want to think about that.
Looking forward to when you turn 20 for the sequel to this, “20 Things I Wish I Knew Earlier In Life”.
Hello my friend, Armen, are you saying I am still young?
! You know how to woo me!!!
Thank you on all the points and yes, the braver part we share it seems. Good thing is we have time to be brave now and later, preferably now of course.
Family nonsense won’t matter 10 years from now but losing touch with relatives might….Thanks for making me smile, as always!
Thanks for the responses to my comment. That was something very personal that I don’t share with a lot of people nowadays, but it seemed to fit in the context of reflections about the things one wishes might have turned out differently.
@Abubakar: Point well taken, although I’m not sure that even Wayne Dyer’s wounds, whatever they are, will ever heal completely. (I have not yet read his story, but will do so on your recommendation.) True, he has dealt with them in a constructive way, and we are all responsible for doing that, regardless of what others have done to us. So I basically agree with you, but I believe some things just sort of lurk in the background, to come back from time to time to haunt us like ghosts. In other words, one might recover 98%, but that extra 2% sometimes has a way of lurking in the background.
To cite a couple of extreme cases: we have all heard about combat veterans having nightmares decades after their experiences, and just yesterday I read something about Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who ran behind JFK’s limousine and clambered aboard to protect Jackie right after the President was shot. That was nearly 47 years ago, and today Clint Hill is approaching 80. But that traumatic episode has haunted him ever since, even though nobody has ever blamed him for what happened that day; and in fact he retired early from the Secret Service because of it. (I don’t compare my experience to his, but we’re talking here about long-term effects of trauma. I’m sure Clint Hill dealt with his own demons as best he could, but I also think it safe to say that he will never get over that completely. In one way or another, regardless of what he does, it will always affect him.)
With that being said, I should also point out that in my case, my background has had one very positive long-term impact on my life. It has made me naturally empathetic toward battered women. I have worked with many of them over the years, both as a practicing attorney and now as a mediator in divorce cases, which by all accounts is something I do quite well. I know I could never have developed that degree of empathy had I not experienced something very similar myself.
Dear Garry, I tend to agree with you even though I have not experienced anything of this nature. I think the worst trauma for me may have been the bombings in Iran during the war. We would hear the alarm and run to the hallway and line up a certain way and wait til the Iraqis would drop the single nightly bomb somewhere in Tehran on some unfortunate person’s head. Then it would be over. I was 11. I can’t stand fireworks to this day and loud thunder, much as I LOVE thunderstorms, seems to bring back some fear. I am really at a loss for words on this very sensitive and extremely delicate topic that you have chosen to share here but I want to thank you for trusting us with your story here!
Beautiful as always Farnoosh, but can I respectfully suggest that you not start the first paragraph after your list with “Alas”?! It is after all the very nature of our existence that we live and learn. As you say in your last para – and as I was thinking as I read your beautiful and honest reflections – we should not focus on regrets. Learn and move on!
That said, just this week I was asked to prepare a profile for another blog. One of the questions was something along the lines of what would you do over if you had your life again and I responded along the lines of “be more fearless – mentally and physically” SO I relate entirely to your “be braver” point. Actually, being human I relate to many of your points! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, you can respectfully suggest anything yes – thank you so much – When you put it in that light, I can see how it seems that I have heavy regrets (which I really do not) and they are really just reflections. What word shall I start with then? It was the expression of a sigh wrapped in the one word that I found fit….
Being more fearless can be our motto moving forward. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, your story and all in such candor!
Hi Farnoosh,
This is my first visit to your blog, and I just wanted to let you know how touched I was by your heartfelt honesty. It’s rare to see people these days admitting to regret, because the hue and cry is to live with no regrets. Non, Je ne regret rien. But as much as I adore Piaf, I don’t know of anyone who has ever made it through life with no regrets.
Years ago I read an article about regret, and it turns out that it’s a potentially positive thing. If we can stop beating ourselves up about it, there is much good to grab onto that can be used to create a less regretful future. You’ve clearly illustrated this with your post; you point to things you wished you’d known earlier, and then tell how you’ve since acted on them. That’s exactly how life works.
I thought you might like this quote about regret; it’s from an article by Jonathan Young of folkstory.com:
“A very successful friend once asked for ideas on how to live so that, at the end, he would have no regrets. I thought long and hard, then answered that I thought regrets were inevitable. There isn’t time to do everything. There is always some grief about all the good ideas we never get around to developing. I don’t think life has to be perfect to be fulfilling. I suggested that he give some thought to how to handle regrets well, rather than putting too much energy into avoiding them.”
Clearly, you know how to handle regrets well, Farnoosh.
Oops, I just went back and read your post again. Apparently I missed your line in the last paragraph: “regrets are pointlesss.” Sorry! But for me, it was still a beautiful treatise on how to handle regrets well.
Dear Patty, vous voulez que je reponds en Francais?
Thank you so much for your comment, your thoughts and also for your first visit here to Prolific Living. After reading this, I asked my husband the difference between regrets and wishes – I meant the latter more so than the former but I do agree that it is possible, very much so, to draw energy and learning from a real regret. I think some of my admissions here may have sounded like real regrets and as good as that may be according to what you share, I have analyzed it to the point where I am happy with the end results. To me, a regret is followed with sadness and unhappiness with the present whereas wishes are things we – for lack of a better word – wish for but still would not change the present for it. Perhaps I sound contradictory to myself…..perhaps some of it makes sense?
Either way, you are sweet to be here and please come back anytime!
Oh, not to worry, as I knew that could be safely shared on this site. I don’t want to dwell on it, though, and now I’ll start thinking about other things I know now that I wish I had learned much earlier in life. One that comes to mind immediately is that I wish I had decided before entering law school that the legal profession was not a good career choice for me.
One question, too: Why 19 things instead of 20 or 25? Just curious.
Hi Gary, I generally use odd numbers – and also in Iran, the grading scale in schools is out of 20 (as opposed to 100 in the US). 19 was my favorite grade. I do not know why!
I am right there with you when it comes to my “chosen” profession of electrical engineering but live and learn – I have moved away from it dramatically…..And I hope you have found your path too!
Such a thoughtful and vulnerable post. I wish I would have forgiven more often and more readily. Forgiveness has the most amazing life changing power.
Thank you !!! I am right there with you on the forgiveness as I am sure you read in my wish list but we can get a lot more practice doing it going forward, no?
!
This makes me want to write my own ‘I Wish’ list. Great thing to do to reflect on what has been learned and what is important. I think I’ll get started tonight!
You had better be done by that list now. It’s been at least 2 hours! I am very much looking forward to reading yours and everyone else’s. Thank you for drawing inspiration and for sharing it here!
Farnoosh, thank you so much for sharing these! As I can relate to many of these, this post really touched me.
I think the important thing to remember — which you touched on in the closing paragraphs — is that we can never know what really could’ve been. Holding onto regrets or wishing things were different means we’re not being grateful for the present moment. And that’s all we really have: the present moment.
I like to think of life as a painting… a piece of art. There are no “right ways” to create a piece of art. A step-by-step guide doesn’t create a real work of art — there’s an element of creativity and chance involved. If something doesn’t feel right, you paint over it and recreate that portion.
Our past can be thought of as a half-painted canvas… if we don’t like what we see so far, we can simply paint over it, add to it, enhance it. Imagine what would happen if a painter tried to peel up layers of the painting to redo something at the bottom — the painting would be a mess (as would the painter himself)!
Hi Raam, I am so impressed by how well you are keeping up with your online life from Nepal now if I am keeping up right with you – thank you for such a poetic thought…..I have been dying to take art classes and now I will never think of a painting the same way. Yes on embracing the present, no doubt. We can just never have known what could have been! Thank you for sharing these thoughts, Raam! I want to read your list very soon so get on with it!
And I wish I have read this post earlier
. Great post, I love it, and my favorite part is: “If we had taken too many risks, we may be looking back with nostalgia at the safer road to adulthood and if we had followed along with less risks and safer choices, we would be wondering about the unexplored adventures we must’ve missed out on.”
Couldn’t agree more. I believe were are all here to collect experiences, and sometimes we can not collect all of them, but we choose the best for ourselves. Thank you for this post!
Darija, I only posted this two days ago so you are right on time! And I like your thoughts on collecting experiences. Makes a very nice visual for me. Thank you for taking time to say your thoughts and very happy you enjoyed the post.
Farnoosh, I think I have read a few posts like this over the past week. Yours is excellent and feels extremely heart felt.
I guess all that stuff my dad used to tell me about youth being wasted on the young is so true. We all look back at wonderful lessons and wish we had them, or had recognized and applied them, much sooner in our lives.
Cheers on a very nice post.
Joshua, so nice to see you here again – thank you so much. And thanks to your Dad for telling the truth. We can only appreciate our parents, they say, when we become parents ourselves and while I haven’t experienced that, I appreciate them and my elders so much more now that I see they had such good points. So happy you enjoyed this!
Wow Farnoosh. What an incredible post. It was great to read this. True and honest and from the heart. Incredible. Thank you Farnoosh.
Thank you Mark! I am so glad to see you here and yes, it came right from the heart!
Farnoosh,
You have officially challenged me!! I love, love, loved this post. Thank you for being so honest and raw with your readers. I regret “wishing” my life away. I use to always wish for the weekend when it was just Monday or Tuesday. For what? Isn’t everyday special? I’ve stopped doing this. I also wish that in moments of haste, I remember to pay more attention to my parents. They love to have conversations with me and sometimes I just rush them along because I feel I have so much to do that day. I know one day I will regret this very much. I needed this reminder. Thank you.
Being your cousin – I must say I love the wish you had for the family. And you’re right; it would take an army of men and an act of God to even try and separate us now!! I also wish you had written down memories of your grandfathers (especially the one we shared in common). You made me tear up with your wish of recordings of their voices. How sweet. I also wish I remembered Baba’s sweet voice.
My dear cousin,
! Thank you for sharing these thoughts, Negar!
I love that I have challenged you – especially in the most subtle way of your every day approach to life, which is, I think, bigger than other challenges such as my 30-day this and that challenge that you see here from time to time….If you master this at your age now, you’ll be much wiser than me when you reach your sweet 30s (which are by the way far better than 20s so much to look forward to)! And no, nothing will ever separate us again. No worry there
Farnoosh, this is pure life poetry. It’s amazing how a “wish it was different’ turns into now I can appreciate the amazingness of what I have today – such as relationship with your cousins – and the way you honor your life now with Yoga, forgiveness and kindness to self.
Aileen,
Thank you – and tell me about it ! I realized just how much came out of that simple question put to us. Have you done your list yet? I have read so many beautiful ones that I can’t be sure if I read one in Kaizen vision….if not, you must do one for us! Thank you for making me smile today and for dropping by!
That was beautifully written Farnoosh. Thank you for sharing your very personal journey with us. Without all those experiences you wouldn’t be the beautiful woman you obviously are today so the paths you chose must have been the right ones. May the route you choose in the future produce reflections you can be as proud of.
Warmest wishes
Sarah
Thank you Sarah – so nice to see you here as a first time commenter! I do think everything pulls us together into who we have become. You are right. Thanks again for saying what you did!
Farnoosh… thank you for this beautiful post. You went where I was unwilling to go in my far less courageous contribution toward Abubakar’s Life Lessons Series … and I admire and respect you immensely for that!
I suspect we all might have regrets for the parts of our lives we failed to live… the expectations we failed to live up to [mostly our own].. and the promises we made [to ourselves] and didn’t keep. Now as I struggle with what might prove in the end to be one of the most difficult and challenging periods of my life I realise the potential [right now] to rise above those past regrets and strive to make the future all it can be.
The thing I am learning is that there is always tomorrow [at least for now] and it’s never too late to get on with the things we felt we might have missed out on… or [for one reason or another]… failed to do. The beautiful thing here is that there’s still time as long as the clock ticks!
I am so glad you were able to make peace with so many of the things on your list… [and with plenty of time to spare to accomplish the rest] It probably doesn’t get better than that
Dear Jean, how nice to hear your unique perspective on my 19 wishes. I think I was asked what is the difference between wishing and regretting and I can see a difference but cannot articulate it too well. All of these are wishes not regrets. It was not easy to write this post and yet it was the only way I wanted to fulfill Abubakar’s request. Thank you for enjoying them and for bringing such a beautiful way to light for me to see them and to think about them going forward. Indeed we have time, we still have today and tomorrow and we can make changes to how we live.
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