If I knew then what I know now......

[Kobi]

With age comes some degree of wisdom. Sometimes, I look back and wonder where other choices would have lead. And I find that if I could do it over, I would consider:

1. work for the government - I could have retired 2 years ago with full, lifetime income and insurance.

2. if #1 wasnt feasible, I would have foregone higher education and learned a trade. The freakin plumber putting in my hot water heater makes $100 an hour! Never make that in my field.

3. I would have bought a home at a much earlier age - like when I had the energy, strength, and stamina to be a home depot 'ho. Its easier to flip thru the yellow pages these days.

4. I would have never started smoking. Aside from being a nasty habit, the cost equates to an extra mortgage payment per month.

5. I would have become a vegan. I am getting weary of the survivors guilt whenever hunger pangs occur. :simplelaugh:

6. I would have paid more attention when Mom was making her homemade stuffing. Thats one recipe gone forever.

7. I would have taken more videos of aging relatives. I miss seeing them and hearing their voices.

8. I would have paid more attention to holistic health and less to traditional medicine.

9. I would have considered a run for political office when I thought I had all the answers.

10. I would have spent more time playing and less time working.

Anyone else?

[Miss Scarlett]

1. I would have come out to my family before I did to the rest of the world - the gap was over 20 years.

2. I would not have accepted some job offers and would not have turned down others.

3. Like Kobi I would have paid attention and gotten a couple recipes from my grnadmothers.

4. I would have told those bullies in school to kiss my a**!

5. I would have taken better care of myself.

[Words]

I would never have assumed that my kids would extend the same unconditional love and affection to me that I extend to them.

I would never have assumed that running away, be it physically or emotionally, would result in my problems being left behind.

I would never have assumed that because I was a 'good' person, others would always take that into account when judging my words and actions.

Basically, I would never have assumed anything.

Words

[Kobi]

Words explains well the old saying....never assume.....lest you make an ass out of u and me. I love that one. :)

[apretty]

this one time, i would have had the cannoli and taken latin

[Soon]

...would have never let myself be *persuaded* into giving certain relationships more chances and/or staying longer than I should have.

...not trusting what I know to be truth.

(so much more--but there's two!)

[Daktari]

If I knew then what I know I would not have allowed anyone to tell me that I 'wasn't good enough'

[Andrew, Jr.]

I never would have told the truth to my parents about being a ftm. Never. It has done nothing but brought heartache and pain to my entire family.

I would have spent more time with JoAnn before she died. Her death was a major loss to me.

[christie]

... I wouldn't change a thing.

[Queerasfck]

Two words. Apple stock.

[NJFemmie]

... I would cut out all of the "middle men".

[Andrew, Jr.]

*I would have worn more Coppertone. I had no idea of what skin cancer was. :tanning:

*I never should have been so trusting of certain people online who claimed to have been my friend. Instead, I am so disappointed in our own community. It seems to happen alot. And that in itself makes me very sad. I just don't get it. :crap: The Lady Snow was/is right. :LGBTQFlag:

*I would have been animal rescue-ing alot longer than what I have been so far.
:dog: :smladybug: :goat: :fishswim: :cat:

[MrSunshine]

woulda, coulda, shoulda.....fuck regret!

[Selenay]

Two words. Apple stock.

And three more:

Buy Google Stock.

[Blade]

Speaking for my Papow, he'd have said yes when he said no to the offer MANY years ago to buy IBM stock, his words were naaa them computers won't never amount to nothin. LOL

[Soft*Silver]

I would have loved my parents better. Now that I am a mom, with a kid like me, boy do I appreciate my parents far more than I did when i was young

I wouldnt have sold my home in the suburbs to move out to the country

I wouldnt have added my partner's name to my bank accounts...lost my family farm over that one

I would have had less horses all at once

I would have gotten my licensure as a SW as well as LPCC...

I would have gone on for my law degree

I would have gotten halloween candy for Mrs Rogers...I let her down

this is good for now...

[Rockinonahigh]

Talked less,listened more.

stoped trying to be such a hot shot,yeah I made it but the price was way deep.

Had a whole lot less horses to care for.

gone to college sooner.

paid more attention to ppl older than me who walked the path I was on.

Trusted less ppl who said they were my friends and werent.

paid more attention to my gut feelings..

once and a while just live in the moment.

[always2late]

I would have..

Gone to med school

Trusted my gut a whole lot more

Come out earlier

Never started smoking

[Gemme]

I would have spoken up more....about my perception of my mother's boyfriends, about my abuse, about my desire to go to school, about not wanting to put others on my accounts and cosigning for them, about what was going on in my gut and head and I would have followed through. I would have been the person then I know I now can be. That would have saved me a lot of time, pain, and trouble.

[Soft*Silver]

I wouldnt have been too shy to dance

I wouldnt have gotten married the first time. I didnt love him. I wanted to, because he SO loved me. But it was during my drinking years. I married him so I could feel better. I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I hadnt made the connection yet that I had a problem. And of course, to feel better could have been achieved had I gotten into AA sooner. But, out of it, I got my daughter, so no, I guess i wouldnt have changed that after all...

I would have figured out a way to help my brother before he died

I would have gone to work for the prison system. Oh the security I would have now...

[Lusciousblondefemme]

I would have gone to see my grandparents everyday...
I would have turned to people and asked for help when i needed it .. instead of being stubborn
I would have followed my heart more ...
I would have never let her walk out of my life ...
I would know that i should go after her ....

[Strappie]

It would just be plain old... SCARY!!!

[Kobi]

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to post in this thread. So much thoughtfulness, self truth and insight.

I suspect we all made the best choices we could each step of the way. And, perhaps, made different choices later when we had different life experiences. It's what life is....a cycle of learning, choosing, growing, learning, choosing, growing.

I know for me, the choices I have made in my 20's and 30's would not be suitable to the person I am now. But, sometimes if we look at the past, we understand the present and can better plan for the future. :)

[Soft*Silver]

my 26 year old daughter use to tell me she watched me as she was growing up, so she could know what to do and not do when she were my age. I was floored. You think they arent looking...but they are...

smart kid...

[bigbutchmistie]

I would listen to my gut

I would have spent more time with my mom

I wouldnt have gotten so frustrated with Mom all those times she told the same story twice or more.... Id give anything to hear them again

[bigbutchmistie]

I would have protected my heart more

[Gemme]

I would have started martial arts and self-defense courses at age 4. :blink:

[Mister Bent]

I would have listened more to my instincts, then let logic sort them out.

[sweetcali]

If I then what I know now I wouldn't change any of it. Except move out of the communist nation of the isle of cali when I had the chance.

sweetcali

[Andrew, Jr.]

I would have moved to Canada for my surgeries.

[Gemme]

I would have sent them on their merry ways much earlier than I did.

[rlin]

listened more
loved less

wow... i played this game when i was younger... and i thought i had it figured out then... in 10 years i will know what a true dumbass i am now i guess...

thanks kobi...
this fits my mood perfectly today...

fact
arlin

[Blade]

If I knew then what I know now I'd certainly have chosen a different career path

[Andrew, Jr.]

I would have listened more to my instincts;

I would have gotten a lap dog sooner than later;

I would have moved to Florida, and bought a boat. :theisland:

[Enchantress]

If I knew then what I know now...

I wouldn't change a thing. Every moment and experience I have had has shaped me into the woman that I am today. The delightful and the bad.

Although I might not have sprayed my hair with Aqua Net in high school. Instead I would go straight for Aveda :|

[Ms. Tabitha]

There are things I would do different...but, if I did that, I would not be who I am today.

:spruceup:

[Mrs. Strutt]

I would have not stayed for too many years in two previous relationships where I was unfulfilled and unhappy just because I didn't want to hurt the feelings of two good people.

[Gemme]

I would have zigged instead of zagged. ;blink:

[princessbelle]

My mistakes would have been passing thoughts, instead of actions. Wow wouldn't that have been nice.

[Andrew, Jr.]

I would have planted hostas instead of a Japanese Maple tree.

[WolfyOne]

I would have stayed a kid longer instead of wanting to be grown up in a kid's body

[Passionaria]

* I would have bought stock in Apple and Google early in the game.

* I would have bought an old Victorian in San Francisco, when prices were were reasonable.

* I would have raised my son in the dance studio, as my first instinct dictated. Also gone from Modern dance, into studying Tango professionally.

:rose: Pashi

[Rockinonahigh]

A fue more things....

I would have learned to dance,really dance not the hop skip and jumping kind,but the kind where u hold someone close and feel the energy of the moment...but I have two left feet.

Been less serious about life,laughed more to live in the moment of it,maybe I still can.

paid way less attintion to members of my family who put me down lie a dog cause I was diffrent.In the stream of life there little darlings ended up doing worse things than I ever did. or have.

paid more attintion to family history,for som reason my grand parents didnt talk about it much..so I have always wondered.

[Nat]

I would have just stayed out of it.

[Pretty Woman]

Been WAY more judicious about who I chose to spend my time with.:kissy:

[Blade]

I'da kept that old '67 Firebird

[sylvie]

i would have smiled more... appreciated the small things more.. and had more fun with each day.. mind you, maybe i wouldn't be where i am emotionally today, picking up more & more as each day goes by...

life's lessons are so worth learning..♥ even the difficult ones..
& very thankful for the days ahead, where i can smile, appreciate and have fun as often as i can!

[MissItalianDiva]

I would not have put my career before everything and everyone

I would not have walked away when I should have taken time..

I would have chosen to get my degree more efficiently

I would have been more open and willing

I would have not felt the need to be so "tough" all the time

[Starbuck]

I wouldn't have married him
I would have called my grandparents more often
I would have allowed the medical doctors in the Army help me with the depression after my divorce
I wouldn't have treated my son like he was a little soldier
I would have said "yes" more often

[Sweet Bliss]

Doing the wudda cudda shudda will not help me now. But re-framing works pretty good....

My choices might not look so hot to others, my choices are mine however. I prefer to believe they were all the right choices. I looked hawt in bell bottoms, lol

The lovers that left me... thank you so much... I am grateful.

The lovers I left.... you go sister!! Stand up for yourself.

nope. wouldn't change a thing.:bunchflowers:

[meridiantoo]

I would have finished college right out of HS instead of making an adult career out of finishing my degrees.

:clover:

[traumaqueen]

no doubt meri... /smh

[Sweet Bliss]

I would have invested in "old cranky people " OTC medicine. Freebies y'all, freebies.

Lots of big bank deposits.... :blueheels: and cute sandals.

[Blade]

I'd bought more property

[anaisninja]

I would have kissed some girls in my 20s.

[LoyalWolfsBlade]

I would still be in the Midwest

[JAGG]

I would have said no thanks.

[okieblu]

My daughter and I have talked about this one, several times. What she said is that regretting past desecions is a waste of energy. Everything she has gone through-both good and bad-have lead up to the person she is now and the life she has now. And those are both very sweet (as in good).

I've thought about this alot. The thing is, that the things I would change are things that would wipe out of exsistance the 2 people who mean the most to me... my daughter and my graddaughter. And that is not even worth thinking about.

[cinnamongrrl]

I would never have sold my Echo..... I loved that car....and it still hurts me to this day.....

[Gayandgray]

OMG there is sooooooooo much I would do differently if I could........ I would have told someone in authority about my stepfather's abuse when my mom didn't believe me, I would have finished high school, I would definately have chosen a different profession, I would have come out to my family myself instead of being outed, etc, etc, etc, etc.

[Blade]

If I knew then what I know now, I would have joined the military when I graduated high school

[Rockinonahigh]

If I knew then what I know now, I would have become a Chef then instead of waiting till I was 50yrso. I know now that things would have been just fine and retirement would have been much better.

[JDeere]

If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted so much time with things that didn't end up mattering, in the long run.

[nina03]

If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted so much time with things that didn't end up mattering, in the long run.

Amen. This exactly, for me, too.

[Blade]

If I knew then what I know now, I would have used my brain to make a living instead of working like a man to prove myself. All I have proven is that working like a man has broken my body down terribly and it didn't have to be that way had I used my brain

[Blade]

If I knew then what I know now, I would have used my brain to make a living instead of working like a man to prove myself. All I have proven is that working like a man has broken my body down terribly and it didn't have to be that way had I used my brain

I posted this last year when I had been out of work waiting on surgery and still waited 4 more weeks for the surgery. That said..had I known years ago that I had an actual injury in my knee I'd had said surgery years earlier and saved myself a lot of physical and emotional pain and suffering.

[Orema]

If I knew then what I know now, I would not have waited this long to lose weight. Every pound lost is a wrinkle waiting to break free.

[Stone-Butch]

If I knew then what I know now I would have had quite a different life after a time. I had a great early life and being a wild teen LOL but as an adult I would have changed a few things that I now regret doing but it is what it is.

[FireSignFemme]

If I knew then what I know now I'd have quit blaming others much sooner. It was a waste of breath, waste of time, waste of energy and it didn't change much of anything. Better to have just let it go and gotten on with it. Life is too short.

[MaddieRobbie]

I would have...
stood my ground more when challenged...
had more confidence in my decisions...
realized what was in front of me in the moment instead of worrying about the past or stressing over where I thought I wanted to be...
been more understanding and empathetic towards others...
stuck it out in college and not been so naive about opportunity...or love.

[Kätzchen]

I most likely would make decisions differently: But past experiences have taught me what I know now. I feel humility for myself and others who have suffered through life and I feel gratitude for all the good memories of treasured moments with people I deeply care about. I’m glad I can feel content with where I’m at in life. I’m wishing the same for others. :balloon: