No Regrets – There’s Always Time for a Do-Over?

I try to live life with no regrets …

but …

there are some moments that still make me cringe!

Like my first car.

Red Geo Storm with tinted windows so dark that I had to take it to a friend of my dad’s to pass inspection.

In that tinted windowed, red Geo Storm, I rocked the biggest, baddest hair this side of the Mason Dixon line.

(picture Snooki – ok, that’s enough of that).

And don’t even get me started on some of the guys I actually had the nerve to bring home to meet my parents!

But truly, my one biggest regret is that I didn’t follow my passion.

You see, I always loved photography and design.

I photographed anything and everything that crossed my path.

Animals, children, inanimate objects…

nothing was safe from me.

I remember pouring over copies of “The Photo” magazine

that my dad would bring to me on his way home from work in Manhattan.

And I could decorate a room like nobody’s business.

(My Kitchen)

But then I got a “real job” and my passion was put on the back burner…

and long forgotten while I worked, then had kids.

But then something incredible happened!

At the tender age of 42, I started to follow my passion once again …

I started this blog and have been writing and laughing and decorating and taking pictures like there’s no tomorrow…

and loving it!

(My Dining Room)

If Grandma Moses could pick up a paintbrush at age 75,

there’s hope for all of us.

If Paula Deen could turn $200 into a Southern-fried-chicken-cooking empire when she was 42,

there’s hope for all of us.

If Ronald Reagan could work his way into the oval office when he was 69,

there’s hope for all of us.

So here’s to living life to the fullest and with no regrets.

Life is short,
Break the Rules.
Forgive quickly,
Kiss SLOWLY.
Love truly.
Laugh uncontrollably
And never regret
ANYTHING
That makes you smile
– Mark Twain

From Frigidaire: The Frigidaire Gallery™Dishwasher gets dishes fully cleaned the first time, so there are no dish do-overs. Nearly half of adults admit to re-washing and/or re-drying dishes after the dishwasher cycle has been completed. To prevent dishwasher do-overs, Frigidaire® is stepping in with its new Gallery® Dishwasher featuring the OrbitCleanTM Wash Arm, ensuring dishes are cleaned right the first time. 

So spill the beans,

what’s the one thing you’d do-over if you could?

I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

 

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19 Comments

  1. No do-overs for me! Everything I’ve lived has brought me to who I am right now and it’s the person I am now who has no fear of starting over and trying new things. I’m learning to live in the present moment and not to worry about what tomorrow might bring. I think this is the best time of my entire life!

    ps I adore Mark Twain!

    Have a super Sunday!

  2. Great post Kelly! I try not to have any regrets in life. I believe all the “mistakes” I have made…molded me into the person I am today. If I had to go back though, the one thing I wish I would have done is further my education. Perhaps have the drive to pursue being a court stenographer. That is what I wanted to do, and never even gave one look into it. Weird right?

  3. You are absolutely correct my dear.

    For me, it’s not so much (at my age) any regrets, as it is trying to identify what might have held me back from things to begin with.

    ~Bliss~

  4. Wonderful post–I just turned 60 and am happily pursuing passions both old and new. Thanks for the universal words of encouragement!

  5. Is that your kitchen? I’m in love with that kitchen. I’ve been planning to paint my cabinets (they’re builder’s grade oak right now) but could NOT decide what color. Dark or white, dark or white, dark or white. I’ve just decided!

  6. Oh and as far as regrets? When I was 39 years old, single mom with 4 year old son, I met and loved a wonderful man. We broke up because he had never been married or had any children, and he wanted that. I did not want any more children. Afterall, I was 39. I’ve always regretted that. Then ten years later he was killed on the job as a police officer. RIP Steve.

  7. My regret is not demanding better care, and accepting that a doctor knew more about my body then me. Even when my common sense, non medically trained opinion, made more sense then the half-assed diagnosis I was getting. Turned out I was right. Now, I fight for my health. I wish I had pushed harder and been more of an advocate for myself. Maybe Austin would not be an only child? Other then that… no regrets, it all shapes and forms us and we don’t have crystal balls. Well, some guys act like they do…

  8. this post is just what i needed to read… i need to follow my heart. i just need to figure out what my heart wants, what my passion is… i feel like i am floating around. i went to haven hoping to be inspired and energized and i came back confused and feeling like it’s a lot of politics… and it just left my mind uneasy. and you are my friend and i loved this post, so i am venting here…. sorry! forgive me! 🙂

  9. whether you’re 42, 52 or older…it’s never too late to change things up and start something new. i know i have and i’m loving it. life is a process and a journey. there are different seasons: new career, newly married, child-rearing or empty-nester. just roll with the stage you’re at and enjoy. would i have rather have started what i’m doing sooner, of course, but that wasn’t God’s timing for me. i think i had to go through all the other “adventures” in order to truly know who i am at this very moment.
    thanks for the opportunity to frigidaire my home…i guess i may have to get a facebook account or use my daughters! i’ve been holding out as long as possible, you know, it’s just one more thing to take me away from what i should be doing!
    enjoy your sunday!

  10. No regrets, and no do-overs for me! Every lesson has brought me to where I am today. I truly believe there are no mistakes only lessons. Life is a journey with ups, downs, and insights. I’m enjoying my life more each day and life’s transitions sometimes take awhile to adjust. I never thought I would have started a blog almost a year and half ago! It’s just happened on a whim and now I’m enjoying sharing my passions about gardening, thrifting, decorating, DIY and adventures in living. I never thought I would be blessed to take care of my mom during the last few months of her life with Alzheimer’s disease. I created many moments of joy and was blessed to be with her on her last day of life. It was a priviledge an an honor to be with her to love her until her last day on the planet. God gave me the strength to heal my heart and to go on living with joy. Life truly is an adventure and we’re given the tools to get through every experience.

  11. If I could do it all over again, I would dive right into design and never look back. My journey sounds very similar to yours right down to the big hair, a red car minus the tinted windows, and oh my, the neanderthal guys, too! Seriously, what ‘was’ I thinking? I’m still figuring it out, and have my blog to thank each and every day for the richness it has brought to my life. I agree with Anne though, it was the journey then that has led me to now. No do overs, just steps forward, only some of them bigger and better steps than others I’ve taken in the past…

  12. Kelly…this post is the best!!…Everyone wishes that they had “followed their dreams” early on…but then there is reality…the reality of taking on a job/career that gives us the stability and financial position to help contribute to the family, to help save for the college educations…but it is never too late to pursue your dreams…and you did!!…You have placed your best foot forward and are looking forward full steam ahead…You are so creative and most talented….as the wonderful Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Hitch your wagon to a star”….and that you did!!!

  13. No do overs, maybe not regrets, but definitely have tried to learn from my mistakes, such as, having HUGE over permed hair is really not conducive to having healthy hair. Not a regret, but a memo from my former self to future self. Enjoy yourself as you are right now and always be looking to what part if me can be better. I think you have to be comfortable in your own skin to evaluate what you can do better. So there is help for me after all!

  14. Kelly~

    Great post….I followed my passion and became a professional ballerina. But, once we started a family I channeled all that art and creativity into my home/family….and now that’s my passion. 🙂 Here’s to the 40’s ….. the adventure continues!

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