Would you change 1 thing about your past if you could?
 

Sort of a piggy back off of the 1 regret thread. You have a choice. You can stay the course of your life, or you could go back and change 1 thing. Would you change anything, and what would it be? Knowing of course, that changing even 1 small thing could lead to a completely different life now, possibly worse, because our lives are shaped by the sum of all of our experiences.

I think I would not change anything at all. I'm happy how it's all turned out to this point.

Getting in a fight at a little league game.

It’s all gone downhill since . . . .

Yes. While I was in basic training in the Air Force, there is a day where all the recruits sit in class where they offer jobs and posts, and they allow you to make a list of what job you would want and where you'd like to be stationed. About ten minutes into the class, a Staff Sergeant walks in and asks to see Airman Bowser. I kind of freak out that I was being singled out in front of 100-ish other guys, but I go out in the hall with him. I report to him all formally as we are taught to do, and he kind of laughs and tells me to relax, he isn't there for all of that. Long story short, he offers me a job to be a boon operator on a refueler. I absolutely freeze and dick it up, turning down his offer. He was cool about it, and with me, but looks at me and says "Are you sure? If you say no, this won't be offered again". I stick with my answer, he thanks me for my time, wishes me luck, and walks away. To this day, 30+ years later, I can still see his face and see him walking away, and I want so badly to tell 19 year old Bowser to run after him and tell him to take the freaking job, you freaking idiot. That literally would have been a dream job for me, and I most likely would have made the Air Force my career. That is absolutely my One Thing I Would Change Moment.

But, that said, I've had a pretty good life in spite of being a 19 year old dumbass, lol (there are those that would argue it wasn't just at 19 years old, haha). I read a quote once saying something along the lines of "the longer you live in the past regretting mistakes, the deeper you push yourself into living with depression". It's true, and I try not to be that person, but just appreciate what I've done and who I've become since. It's all we can do, really.


*EDIT - not that it's terribly important, but I really do feel that I was offered that job because of my dad's service during WWII as a top turret gunner on a B-17. They would not have taken an interest in me, I believe, if I hadn't been his kid (dad was 48 when I was born; I was a total "ooops" baby, lol).

Yes. Wish I had the opportunity to change one thing that likely ends up with my son still being alive.

I would have not visited Dr. Feelgood as frequently as I did. Less booze and other recreational remedies. My life would have been immensely better.

I would have gotten the chicken fried steak instead of the cheeseburger.

I would’ve kept better track of what ballparks I have been to.

I mean are there instances where I should have turned left instead of turning right, absolutely. But I wouldn't change a thing because then I wouldn't be who I am.

I wouldn’t have attended that rap concert

Tried harder in school, both with academics and football.

What would that be? If you don't mind me asking?

During college, one of my better friends got into Bitcoin when it was $0.10. He approached me and offered to set up my machine to mine like his was to generate passive income - I said no. He then told me to just throw $20 or $50 into it - I seriously thought about it but got consumed and never executed.

It's easy enough to say "I could have done 'x'" in life... But I outright rejected someone offering to make me a multi-millionaire with no work on my part. I'd have been retired by my late 20s.

Did your friend become a multimillionaire?

Haha. Wouldn't change it.

I have a lot of things I wish I’d have done differently with hindsight. I’m starting to believe more and more that things happen for a reason….and the choices I made then that I might change, change important things like..the family I have now. I’d not change that.

If I could go back and prevent some accidents and save people I love a lot of pain…I’d do it. But…I can look now on things that resulted from some of those events that were a net positive. I’d like to keep the cow from stomping my mom and I into the ground….but it made me so much more appreciative of my parents and they relaxed more after…..I’d like to keep my son from falling into a fire and save him that pain and those scars….but maybe that toughened him up for something in the future. I’d prevent a couple of car accidents and save myself and a friend some broken bones and arthritis. I’d go intervene before a neighbor kid drowned…..I’d invest in bitcoins and apple and google and Facebook early on…….id have tried harder to have bought a couple of farms…..

But the truth is, when I think about these things, I focus on the fact that while the outcomes are what they are….i did the right thing at the time with the information and situations I had….it doesn’t matter that I could have bought farms for $400/acre that now sell for $6500/acre….i didn’t have th cash to do it. I did the best I could at the time to stop events or help as much as I could at the time. Maybe…things turned out the way they’re supposed to.

At the risk of changing things unintentionally not knowing g the impact of changed outcomes….i guess I’ll take the scars and lessons as part of the process. I’m not changing much.