No Regrets

I have very few regrets in life. Even bad decisions I made or situations that turned out badly I tend to view as learning and growing experiences that have shaped me into the person that I am today. I'm even learning to praise God for these things because He always seems to find a way to bring good out of them.

But... I vividly recall one event from my past that I do still regret, and it continues to influence the decisions I make to this day.

One summer, my family took a vacation to Cancun, Mexico. In addition to enjoying the beach near our hotel, we also traveled around a bit and took in some sites, including Chichen Itza. Well, the weather that day wasn't the greatest, and after getting showered upon during our tour of the old Mayan ruins, I was grumpy. So when my dad asked if we wanted to climb to the top of the huge pyramid that dominates the center of this famous archealogical site, I said "no," and my mom and I waited at the bottom while my brother and dad climbed El Castillo. They enjoyed a completely different perspective from atop that pyramid that I may never have another opportunity to experience.

That is why, if I am ever asked to try some new and interesting thing, even if I'm not very excited about it, I will most likely do it anyway. Because I have never regretted trying something new, only missing out on opportunities like I did that summer in Mexico.

For example, even though the music was not my favorite, I still got some pretty cool pictures from the Beijing opera I attended in Harbin.

And even though the mountain streams and waterfall were crazy cold, I was still able to bond with my buddies in a way I couldn't have had I not just jumped right in.