If you could go back in time and change one thing...

[tanya]

what would it be?

[DiscGo]

Is this for man kind or for myself?

[Sombeech]

I'd go back to 1965 and stop Marty from kissing his mom.

[tanya]

Is this for man kind or for myself?

For yourself. :nod:

[JP]

Hmmm, joined the military.

[Felicia]

I would not go back!!

I worked really hard to get right here! :ne_nau:


I like it right here.

:2thumbs:

[tanya]

I would be single still. :mrgreen:

[Felicia]

I would be single still. :mrgreen:

But then you would not have your kids, body builder husband and have every Sunday hiking with Bo!!!!

[tanya]

I would be single still. :mrgreen:

But then you would not have your kids, body builder husband and have every Sunday hiking with Bo!!!!


But I would be single!!!!! :five:

[Felicia]

I would be single still. :mrgreen:

But then you would not have your kids, body builder husband and have every Sunday hiking with Bo!!!!


But I would be single!!!!! :five:

But then you would have to do EVERYTHING for yourself. I don't have to do anything......I like this way. Gives me lots of time on the computer. :five:

[tanya]

I would be single still. :mrgreen:

But then you would not have your kids, body builder husband and have every Sunday hiking with Bo!!!!


But I would be single!!!!! :five:

But then you would have to do EVERYTHING for yourself. I don't have to do anything......I like this way. Gives me lots of time on the computer. :five:

I can think of things I might like better, if I were single, than being on the computer. :nod: :haha:

[Felicia]

I would be single still. :mrgreen:

But then you would not have your kids, body builder husband and have every Sunday hiking with Bo!!!!


But I would be single!!!!! :five:

But then you would have to do EVERYTHING for yourself. I don't have to do anything......I like this way. Gives me lots of time on the computer. :five:

I can think of things I might like better, if I were single, than being on the computer. :nod: :haha:

OK....ya got me there. Ya see, I have never been single. The first guy I dated, I married and the second guy I dated, I married. :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

[tanya]

I would be single still. :mrgreen:

But then you would not have your kids, body builder husband and have every Sunday hiking with Bo!!!!


But I would be single!!!!! :five:

But then you would have to do EVERYTHING for yourself. I don't have to do anything......I like this way. Gives me lots of time on the computer. :five:

I can think of things I might like better, if I were single, than being on the computer. :nod: :haha:

OK....ya got me there. Ya see, I have never been single. The first guy I dated, I married and the second guy I dated, I married. :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

Oh :eek2: I am sooooooooooooooo SORRY! :ne_nau:

[Felicia]

I would be single still. :mrgreen:

But then you would not have your kids, body builder husband and have every Sunday hiking with Bo!!!!


But I would be single!!!!! :five:

But then you would have to do EVERYTHING for yourself. I don't have to do anything......I like this way. Gives me lots of time on the computer. :five:

I can think of things I might like better, if I were single, than being on the computer. :nod: :haha:

OK....ya got me there. Ya see, I have never been single. The first guy I dated, I married and the second guy I dated, I married. :ne_nau: :ne_nau:

Oh :eek2: I am sooooooooooooooo SORRY! :ne_nau:

Life is good!!! :five:

[DaveOU812]

This is quite the quandry for me. I would go back and stop my best friend from dying. Problem is, I would have to go back and not been in the military which is something I wouldn't do.

[Sombeech]

I think that quote frenzy above is going to create a black hole, modifying the space time continuum on it's own. :lol8:

[JP]

I think that quote frenzy above is going to create a black hole, modifying the space time continuum on it's own. :lol8:
We can keep up without all the quotes being there :lol8:

[jman]

Felicia, here is my beef with that statement, "NOT change anything...would not go back!! I worked really hard to get right here!
I like it right here."

Although I respect that you "like it" how your life is right here - MY experience in "living with regrets" is that people who have NO regrets, in my personal interactions and experience, are one of the most oblivious and naieve people yet most compassionate people I have ever met...

EX: I have a friend who is a very sweet young girl and means the best in all her relationships...yet, unforuntately, and many more people that I have seen with this mentality, are unfortunately, the ones that get abused and taken advantage of the most. As the some notion goes, "he only hits me once in a while when he's mad, but I know he can change - he says he will. And we have only been married for 12 years too!" ...tsk....tsk. Although, technically, a lot of women say it's "more complicated that that" - well yes THAT is true - but this mentality of "no regrets" is SHARED BY ALL OF THEM. Every one. So in my logic, of this "no regrets" life, is that the physical, mental, emotional abuse is worth it? (If you rebuttal this, I have a few rebuttals to that answer, if posted)

The reason is - is because they don't learn from their mistakes. (NOW understand this isnt meant personally directed to you - it's AT the notion of that statement "no regrets". However, "living with regrets" is different. It's almost saying like "it never REALLY happened at all." Ex: Yea..."septemeber 11 happened, but it won't EVER happen again...." see my point ? )

Living with regrets is totally different...and I have to say this because I KNOW I will get this type of response, "you shouldn't live with regrets because it'll only keep you wondering what'd happened if you did this or that." Hmm...good point. BUT as you see their is no lesson learned or gained. Let me explain...So I liked this girl back in junior-high and high-school but never had the guts to ask her out, although she gave me hints to ask her out - but I never acted on it. NOW she is married and happily married. Good for her. This girl, I have known for my entire life, and she grew up right next door to me (hehe..literally 'the (hot) girl next door'...wow...good memories). Now I wonder what would have happened if I had ask McCall out? I dunno........BUT that served me as a good example to go after what or who I want and to not be afraid to meet that person in spite of rejection.... SO THAT REGRET, made me a better person. But I did dwell on that lost for a long while and finally stopped out of my self-flagellation and started not be afraid anymore. Make sense?

It's funny that this topic was started because one of the girls that my cousin likes (he's 14) posted this on her myspace page and says this, which I thought was sad but very interesting of this girl's conscious....

"over the summer i had met a guy who was 3 years older than me(i am 13) and i liked him. me and a friend saw him and 2 of his friends at the lake and we decided to hang out with them. we walked around downtown for a few hours.
after that, they asked us if we wanted any beer. we said yes not thinking that we were going to do anything. they bought 4 budweisers(the big 40 oz ones) and the 3 guys had 1 and me and my friend had split one(i had over half of it though).
we went into the woods so no one would catch us drinking. by the time we had finished the bottle, we were all fully drunk.
we all went back to the lake. me and the guy that i liked were sitting on a picnic table and i was wearing his clothes. then i put my arm around him because i couldnt sit up.
a few minutes later we were making out.
there were a lot of people at the lake that day and all of them saw it.
it was time to go so me and my friend went to her house. later that night, my friend told me that the guys were outside so we snuck out.
that was the first time that i had smoked pot. i wanted to try it and it backfired on me.
that was also the day that i had started smoking.

results of that day: i had lost soo many people's respect.
i became addicted to cigarettes.
i was known as a pothead.
i cried EVERY night until october(it happened in june)
i started cutting because i liked him and i knew that he used me.
my cutting got worse because i started to love him and he said that he regretted what he had done.
i got a therapist.
he went to juvy for breaking and entering/stealing a car.
after that, my friend told me that he wanted to go out with me.
and im STILL in love with him.

haha that was kinda long.
yea i dont know why i love him but i would give my life just so he wouldnt have to stay in juvy.
if you have ever heard the song i hate everything about you by three days grace then each and every word describes how i feel.
that day pretty much changed my life. i have stopped cutting and smoking pot but i havent quit smoking cigarettes..im trying to quit.
people dont have any respect for me. they call me emo and a burnout.
just because of one day that i would take back in a heartbeat."


Anywho...that's a VERY long post, but those are my thoughts.

[tanya]

I think that quote frenzy above is going to create a black hole, modifying the space time continuum on it's own. :lol8:

It's a :spruceup: female thing! :five: Sometimes we just like to build pretty things. :nod:

:haha: Deal with it.

[oldno7]

I think that quote frenzy above is going to create a black hole, modifying the space time continuum on it's own. :lol8:

It's a :spruceup: female thing! :five: Sometimes we just like to build pretty things. :nod:

:haha: Deal with it.

Quote frenzy?? Whats a qoute frenzy? :popcorn:

[DiscGo]

I have had at lease 1 job since I was 13, and for a lot of my teenage years I had two jobs. It was recommended to me that I save up and bought a house. I didn't realize how much money you didn't have to have in order to buy a house, I thought you had to have most of the money. I really wish I had bought a house when I was 16 and bought less toys and food.

[KapitanSparrow]

Yeah, somehow all these questions bring up only one thing to mind, heh. I guess otherwise I am happy.

[Bo_Beck]

That I didn't stay in the AF. It was a cush job (Teaching Survival), and I'd have a nice retirement. I could go hiking every dayif I were retired :nod:

[tanya]

I think that quote frenzy above is going to create a black hole, modifying the space time continuum on it's own. :lol8:

It's a :spruceup: female thing! :five: Sometimes we just like to build pretty things. :nod:

:haha: Deal with it.

Quote frenzy?? Whats a qoute frenzy? :popcorn:

It's something I like to make once in a while. :haha:

[oldno7]

I think that quote frenzy above is going to create a black hole, modifying the space time continuum on it's own. :lol8:

It's a :spruceup: female thing! :five: Sometimes we just like to build pretty things. :nod:

:haha: Deal with it.

Quote frenzy?? Whats a qoute frenzy? :popcorn:

It's something I like to make once in a while. :haha:

and somehow Beach is missing the merits of quoting?
I try to stay out of the quoting stuff.

[tanya]

I think that quote frenzy above is going to create a black hole, modifying the space time continuum on it's own. :lol8:

It's a :spruceup: female thing! :five: Sometimes we just like to build pretty things. :nod:

:haha: Deal with it.

Quote frenzy?? Whats a qoute frenzy? :popcorn:

It's something I like to make once in a while. :haha:

and somehow Beach is missing the merits of quoting?
I try to stay out of the quoting stuff.

Because then you can't go back and edit and so sometimes you can get in trouble. :lol8:

[Cirrus2000]

I wish I'd got into my current career far earlier.

The concept of going back and changing things is so difficult. If I got into air traffic control right out of high school, I'd have started making better money much earlier (and paid off the mortgage even sooner), and I'd be able to retire much earlier. However, I'd not have had the same experiences that I have.

I would not have worked in a hard physical way, as I did when cutting and polishing granite for 3 years. That was a great experience - there is nothing like reaching the end of the day, and being able to look at something solid and beautiful and say "I made this." Very satisfying.

On the other hand, I would never have had a slab of granite fall on my leg, requiring months of rehab, and leaving reduced motion and a constant nagging pain in my left knee for the last 17 years - and the rest of my life. I could do without that. (Perhaps I should regret not having a better hold on the slab that tipped...)

Perhaps I could have convinced my parents to quit smoking if I'd tried harder. Then my mom might have lived long enough to see her grandchildren. My dad might not have suffered a stroke that left him half paralyzed and entirely speechless for the last 16 years of his life. He met the grandkids, but never once had a conversation with them...

It's an interesting exercise, but I can honestly say that through all the ups and downs in life, I'm satisfied.

Honestly, the biggest decision that I still regret goes back to my wedding. Yes, I would still marry her! But I made a poor decision about my best man.

I had a couple of close friends, and decided one should be best man. I asked him and he agreed. Then my wife (fianc

[MY T PIMP]

I would make sure my sister didn't die.

[savanna3313]

I would've bought Ebay stock back in 1996 for $23 a share and let it ride. The stock has split 3-1 and 2-1 several times and needless to say I would be a millionaire many times over. :ne_nau:

[greyhair biker]

I'd have kept my big mouth shut when my bosses' bosses' boss asked me "what would you do to better operations in the mine?"
....that set me back a few years...'cause I told him if I ran my business like this certain aspect was being run I'd be out of a business. Needless to say it cost me dearly :ne_nau:

[Iceaxe]

............

:ahh:

[tanya]

............

:ahh:


huh?

[Iceaxe]

I decided my one thing was on a "need to know" restriction. :lol8:

[accadacca]

I would have bought 3 motorcycles instead of just 1 last time. :lol8:

These 3 will do:

http://ktmusa.com/fileadmin/swf/productspecials/uploads/530exc-r.jpg

http://blog.ascycles.com/wp-content/gallery/f800gs/F800GS_15.jpg

http://www.motorbikestoday.com/news/Images/bmw_r1200rt_studio_lge.jpg

[tanya]

But would you still have the wife if you bought all three. :haha:

[DiscGo]

Felicia, here is my beef with that statement, "NOT change anything...would not go back!! I worked really hard to get right here!
I like it right here."


Anywho...that's a VERY long post, but those are my thoughts.

I enjoyed that post and I mostly agreed. "Nothing" is a cop out answer.

[DiscGo]

I wish I'd got into my current career far earlier.


Tough one. I wouldn't want to miss out on what I have done in my life, but I do wish I had done this.

[sparker1]

The one thing I would definitely change: When the pathologist failed to identify my wife's biopsy as malignant. She has suffered mightily for the past 11 years fighting something that could have been successfully addressed at that time. Other than that, I'll play the hand dealt me.

[DiscGo]

That is painful Stan! I am sorry to hear that.

[tanya]

I decided my one thing was on a "need to know" restriction. :lol8:


:nomystery: I wish that same thing!

[Iceaxe]

I decided my one thing was on a "need to know" restriction. :lol8:


:nomystery: I wish that same thing!

I'm heading down to buy a Delorean right now.... anyone know where I can get a flux-capacitor?

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2007/08/03/future460.jpg

[Felicia]

Felicia, here is my beef with that statement, "NOT change anything...would not go back!! I worked really hard to get right here!
I like it right here."


Anywho...that's a VERY long post, but those are my thoughts.

I enjoyed that post and I mostly agreed. "Nothing" is a cop out answer.

Gentlemen, unfortunately the internet does not allow us to walk a mile in each others shoes.

jman: your words are wise and I understand your perspective. But remember, that most things can be measured with a bell curve. Some have to be on the poor end and fail, most everything is in the middle and some are on the good end and excel. Many times I have had the opportunity to engage in a conversation over the following question with many people from many walk's of life: Do you have the right to tell someone that they are unhappy if they themselves do not know that they are unhappy? This question had created some very interesting debates over the years. Try it sometime. :nod:


DiscGo: no disrespect but your comment is of no value as you offer no independent argument to support your position. :blahblah:


I would not change that fact that I posted....we have learned a bit more about each other and maybe others will reflect as well.

Life is good. :2thumbs:

[abirken]

I can actually say there is one thing that would be a definate regret and I won't post here. I'll save it for Dr. Phil.

I have several other things that could count towards a regret category but I view them as more of a learning tool for my future decisions. For example: 'NEXT TIME ALISON......DON'T TAKE NUDE PHOTOS AND PUT THEM ON THE INTERNET FOR EVERYONE TO SEE'. :roflol:

[double moo]

remember that one time at band camp....

I think I should have skipped out of the MTC and spent the 2 years in an exotic country as a gigilo. I could have written the folks regularly and had that paid vacation to experience wonderful women from exotic lands. Then I could have opened a school to train others to walk in those footsteps.

That or an astronaught....

[DiscGo]

You offer no independent argument to support your position.



There is no argument here. I just believe that having self-confidence and self-esteem is one thing, and not wishing you had ever done anything different is another. So when I say your answer is a cop-out, I am implying that you just are not being open with us.


Everybody has made little mistakes that did not lead to who they are, but just didn't live life to the fullest one day.

Example: I had a day where I just hung out and watched TV all day, and I could have gone for a hike or called a friend and hung out. (That day does not make me whom I am today, nor did it give me any character. It is just something that I could have done differently, and there have been more than one day like that, so it isn't like that day led me to never just hanging out again because some days you still do it).






DiscGo: no disrespect but your comment is of no value... :blahblah:



No disrespect, but I was trying to politely say the same thing about your comment. I think your answer was a cop out, because you did not share an experience you would have wished to change.

If you don't want to share your regret with us (like IceAxe, who's regret probably involves having making out with a woman who ended up being a man :haha:) that is fine. I just argue that we would know each other better if we shared openly and discussed our regrets.



You can tell me that you would not change a single thing all day, but I think if you are honest with yourself you will see that there is something maybe ever so small that you would change about your past. I mean if you think about just one stupid thing you did in junior high-school and how mean you were to your Mom, or a friend, or even more likely a person you considered an "enemy", you could make the argument that those experience led you to be who you are (which really is more more likely top have just been hormonal), think about the person you might be now if you had just been a little nicer, or whatever.



So in short, that is great that you think so highly of yourself. I just have a hard time believing that you are perfect, and I believe you still have room to progress. You have enevidably done something in your life that that lacked integrity that you could have done better, or something cowardice, or boring when you could have been braver.


As I once told Jaxx, my Mom used to always tell me that you will never regret being nice. I believe a lot of people have regrets for the times they didn't follow that.

[Alex]

I am with Felicia on this one. I wouldn't change a thing, all mistakes, horrors, sadness and happiness, I will do it over just the same way.

I personally think our experiences (bad or good) is just life. You go back and change one thing, it will mess up another. It's all tied together.

Learn from the past, live the present, build the future.
:2thumbs:

[abirken]

I am with Felicia on this one. I wouldn't change a thing, all mistakes, horrors, sadness and happiness, I will do it over just the same way.

I personally think our experiences (bad or good) is just life. You go back and change one thing, it will mess up another. It's all tied together.

Learn from the past, live the present, build the future.
:2thumbs:


Honestly, I do agree with both you and Felicia on this one as well. I agree that all of the moments, seconds that pass by- mold our destiny and effect future situations. We may not be happy about some decisions we've made, but ultimately there is no changing time. Your last quote hits the nail on the head. :2thumbs:

[hank moon]

Napoleon Dynamite showed best what to expect when trying to tamper with the past...

[DaveOU812]

I'm with Hank on this one. :roflol: :five:

[hank moon]

Ow! Ow! Ow! Kill the pow... It kills! My pack! Ow! Turn it off! Turn it off, Kip!

[LOAH]

Honestly, I'm with Felicia. That's the best answer I've heard, despite others' efforts to hyper-analyze and discredit it, calling it a "cop-out".

I feel it's the most well thought out answer given.

If I were to change the smallest detail of my past, I can't say what that might have done to my future, at that point. I would have no way of knowing whether or not it would jeopardize my chances of knowing my favorite person who makes all this BS in life "worth it": My son.

It's not a chance I would take. I've always dreamed of being a father and I am beyond fortunate with whom I've helped create. I love and cherish him. By far the single greatest ANYTHING in my life.


...But if I were to offer a true "cop-out" answer, I'd say something to the extent of buying stock in Google (in it's early years) or something like that.

I'm not perfect in any way, but I'm not supposed to be. I'm fine with that.

[Jaxx]

Spending more time with the kids. I am still working on that.

[Rev. Coyote]

I'd have run from that cop. It was dark, and he was elephantine. But like a chump, I figured I'd get dealt a fair hand....

...feel free to guffaw.

[Scott Card]

I would have worn a different suit in some of my High School Dance pictures. Seems I look all the same in my blue leisure suit.... same ol' me in the same ol' suit but with a different date each time. I could have used a cream leisure suit to brake up the "European Cut" baby blue.... (yep, I was a looker.) :lol8:

[Felicia]

DiscGo: Great response! :2thumbs: I look forward to meeting you someday and continuing this debate.

Alex, abirken and LOAH: Thanks!

My argument is that life is a learning and growing exercise. Everything that we do, say, experience, etc shapes who we are and how we preceive things. I believe that when we stop learning and growing, we start dying.

Take any instance in life, pick one and look at it.

The fact that you can itterate an example means, to me, that that instance has had an affect on you because you remember it. I should have bought Google stock....duh - are you not more aware? When the next 'too good to be true' stock goes by, are you going to give it a gander? Life is good and I have a few extra dollars.....I'll give it a try. The Google stock experience has shaped your decision that will effect your future.

Regardless of whether an experience is positive or negative or even neutral.....something can be learned. The learning gives the experience value and we take that lesson onward into our lives. Is that not how we got to where we are today?

Life is good. :popcorn:

[DiscGo]

DiscGo: Great response! :2thumbs: I look forward to meeting you someday and continuing this debate.

Me too.




Life is good.

Amen.

[savanna3313]

The one thing I would definitely change: When the pathologist failed to identify my wife's biopsy as malignant. She has suffered mightily for the past 11 years fighting something that could have been successfully addressed at that time. Other than that, I'll play the hand dealt me.

I am sorry to hear that. From everything you write, you've got yourself a really cool wife! :2thumbs:

[sparker1]

The one thing I would definitely change: When the pathologist failed to identify my wife's biopsy as malignant. She has suffered mightily for the past 11 years fighting something that could have been successfully addressed at that time. Other than that, I'll play the hand dealt me.

I am sorry to hear that. From everything you write, you've got yourself a really cool wife! :2thumbs:

Thanks, Savanna and DiscGo, for your comments. I really wasn't looking for sympathy or anything, just felt that experience is one I (and she) could definitely live without. Even so, we learned some valuable things, like how much we value, respect and care for each other. It might be true that such scary and painful experiences brought us closer, although we were already very close. More than anything, it was someone's incompetence that cost us so much in so many ways, not something we could control.

Enough of this. People are killed and maimed every day by carelessness or incompetence or plain old evil on the part of someone else. Life ain't fair.

[savanna3313]

never mind........ :haha:

[Alex]

Even so, we learned some valuable things, like how much we value, respect and care for each other. Life ain't fair.

It's better to love for a second, than struggle for eternity. You already have what so many are seeking. Life is fair, brother.

[LOAH]

Ahh, nevermind all that crap I spouted earlier.

I'd change Tanya's avatar. :roflol: :2thumbs:

[tanya]

Ahh, nevermind all that crap I spouted earlier.

I'd change Tanya's avatar. :roflol: :2thumbs:

You don't like helmets either. :mrgreen: Is this one better?

[LOAH]

:naughty:

That one works.

[tanya]

:five:

[TreeHugger]

I'd bring my brother back.

Other than that, all the hard times, the pain, the craziness, the bad choices, ... it's taught me well and made me who I am today and I feel that I've evolved each year into a better, more self actualized person. Life IS good and I love where it's brought me.