Regret

 Year 8-Day 328: Today, I’m grateful for lessons from regret. 

If we are honest, we all have regrets. Things we wish had done sooner, better or with more compassion. Regret is a beautiful part of being human. It acknowledges our imperfections. There is humility in regret. In regret, the seeds of change can take root. 

Most of us try to avoid doing things we will regret. We call it "being smart" or "acting with caution". Still, some of our best life lessons are born from our mistakes. 

I loved this quote from Anne Frank, the young Dutch girl who kept a diary during the years she hid in a room with her family, before they were discovered and taken to concentration camps. She died at 15. Her diary is full of her thoughts and ponderings like this statement: 

"Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude." -Anne Frank

After nearly eight full years of keeping a daily gratitude log, I am a fan of gratitude. Is regret really stronger than gratitude? I've been thinking about this. I think that regret has the power to help us change our behaviors... and gratitude helps us change our hearts. Perhaps it isn't a contest of strength but a reminder to slow down and consider what motivates us? What changes us?

I want a life shaped by gratitude, but I am aware my regrets have shaped my life, too.  How about you? This scripture sums up the value of regret:

"Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. "  -2 CORINTHIANS 7:10 

Buy the flowers. Take time to send a note. Stop by for a visit with an old friend. Drive an elderly friend to the store. Play Uno with a child. Bake a pie. Take a walk in nature. Hold hands with a loved one. Laugh out loud often. 

Tomorrow isn't promised. We only have this day. 

Today, I’m grateful for lessons from regret.