Hope or Regret?

Today I am grateful for the first bike ride of the season and some patio time yesterday. I am also grateful for my longtime friend Deb and our continued connection. Happy Birthday Deb!

I spent time with some recovery friends yesterday and they left me with plenty of food for thought. Here are some tidbits that came out as the meaning of “hope” was tossed around:

*Hope is a good 4-letter word.

*Hope gives us strength to try new things.

*There is no hope in drinking, there is in sobriety.

Because of conversations I had with several friends and family members over the weekend, I was staring down a mix of emotions about cancer and alcoholism and what they have done to me and to plenty of people I care about.

Regret surfaced. It has a way of doing that. Regret about what I did or didn't do and say. Regret about wasted time. Regret is futile. What's done is done.

Enter hope. Hope pulls me from the past and brings me to the present, where I can take right actions.

Hope and regret are opposites. I can regret that I waited this long to pursue some of my writing dreams, or I can be hopeful that each step I take, each new thing I learn and experience, takes me just that much closer to goals.

Hope awaits, just like gratefulness, each morning when I wake up. I have a choice. Regret or hope?

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