I was listening to a discussion today that included a question to a terminally-ill cancer patient regarding any regrets that he may have now that he is expected to die within the next few months. The gentleman did mention a few regrets that he had, but this discussion led me to think about my own life and any regrets that I may have. I couldn't think of anything. That is not to say that my life has always been perfect but what I realized was that every choice that I made, including the bad choices, provided me with lessons that I would never have otherwise learned.
Each negative situation in which I have found myself lasted just long enough to learn what I needed to know and then ended. Everything positive continued as long as I allowed. I reviewed the places where I have lived, the relationships that I have had and the work experiences that I have encountered. I noticed that as long as I followed my instincts, I have always been in exactly the right place at the right time.
Every experience that I have had has taught me a valuable lesson. Every person that I have met has enriched me or taught me something about the inhumanity that one can wreak upon another. But, I also realized that many people don't see their experiences from the same perspective that I do.
I am not exactly sure when or how I began to look at my life in this manner. I am surrounded by so many people who focus on all of the bad things in their lives, who complain about everything and everyone that they encounter and in essence, lead pretty miserable lives. My hope is always to somehow find a way to show these people how differently life can be with just a bit of tweaking in their thought process. I don't know how successful I have been or will be in the future but I do know that I will continue to keep on trying in any way possible. And, I do know that having a belief in a higher power from whom I always elicit help and direction is the key to my ability to perceive life in the manner that I do.
I also reviewed another aspect of regret. What has there been in my life that I wish that I had done or what goals have I failed to pursue? I could not identify anything. Now that does not mean that I have accomplished everything and that there is nothing else for me to do. Actually, there are tons of things that I have done that I want to keep experiencing and I know that there are lots of opportunities that will still come my way that I currently couldn't even imagine myself doing.
I would never have imagined that I would write the lyrics for our music CD. I never conceived that I would be writing this blog on a weekly basis but here I am. And I hope that I will always keep myself open to new ideas, new possibilities and new opportunities because they are always right around the corner if you care to embrace them and at least give them a try. And I know deep down inside that my great desire to help others will eventually lead me to the perfect opportunity or project. That is when I will know that I have found exactly what I have been looking for all my life.