Do You Ever Wish Life Had an "Undo" Button?

Have you ever wanted a "do-over" on something in life? You know, like do-overs when we were kids? My goodness, I know I have, more than once. Plenty of times.

An "Undo" button would be SO handy, wouldn't it?

I mean, let's think about this for a minute. Regrets? We wouldn't have any if there was an "Undo" button. We'd just hit "Undo" if we messed up, and fix things right. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

As someone who is now on the down-hill slide to the Half Century mark, I've lived life a bit. Sometimes life has lived me.

Regrets? Oh yes, I have a few. "I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." Oh yeah, you betchya!

Things I learned while living life or having life live me:

Nag less, say I Love You more. Never let a day go by without those three precious words. You might never get a chance to say them again to the one you love.

Live life as if it's your last day on Earth. It could be.

Choose to be happy, even when its easier to be sad, or worried, or stressed or emotional.

Be grateful for what one has, rather than what one doesn't.

Stop longing for all the things you've lost. If they're meant to be yours, they'll be found again in due time.

Enjoy your children. They grow up way too damned fast.

Every phase of a child's life is *the best* phase.

A shared grilled cheese sandwich and a slobbery toddler hug & kiss is one of the sweetest things life has on offer.

"I Love You, Mommy/Daddy" are the best words ever said. By me to my parents, by my kids to me and their Dad. Even if he can be a bit of a jerk to me, he loves these kids like no father I've ever seen.

My heart bursts with pride when I see the three of them together, and sometimes I even cry when he leaves here with them for "his time". I cry for all the things I feel like I stole from them when I left--because I wasn't able to stay and was too immature to stick it out and do the hard work when things got rough (ie, cheating (him), nagging (me), lack of sleep (both of us), etc.

Sometimes--and it's only fleeting moments anymore, because I pretty much think life has worked out the way it was supposed to. But sometimes--I think I'd "undo" the decision to leave.

I sometimes think, maybe I'd just go back to our little place in Chattanooga where I knew absolutely NOBODY, had two little tiny preemie babies, a stupid 1986 Mustang 5.0 that wouldn't accommodate two baby car seats--which left me housebound with cabin fever and serious postpartum depression, a Sales Manager husband who made good money but was on the road and never home, and when he was home he was "out drinking with his buddies". Yeah, why not? Hmmm. Somehow I don't think that's an "undo" anymore.

I learned over the years that maybe it's better to hold your tongue and speak only kind words, even when the words on the tip of your tongue are bitter and full of contempt.

Encouragement rather than criticism...."Sure, honey, go make that million dollars so we can all live a nice life together. "I know you can do it, honey". Instead of..."Oh great, you're such a dreamer. This is just another one of your get rich quick schemes."

Never cheat. EVER. EVER. EVER. Its never OK to go outside a relationship and start something new with someone else--not until you've ended the first relationship. I learned this personally and quite painfully, but I wasn't the cheater. I don't have it in me to do that to anyone.

Never go to bed mad.

I wish I had said "I'm sorry, I was wrong" when I was wrong. Pride. One of the 7 Deadlies. It'll get you every time. There's a reason God warned us against pride. I've learned that the hard way too. So many times I wish I had an "undo" here.

Never go to bed mad in separate dwellings, it's a LOT harder to say "I'm Sorry, I'm wrong" if you're not face to face.

Always make up. The making up part can be really sweet. The zest of life. And life without the sweetness....is just bitter, lonely and not nearly as rewarding.

And...I could go on, but there is NO "Undo" button. Just regrets and opportunities to learn from them. Sometimes we have the chance to fix things, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we get second chances. And sometimes we don't.

...we always have the choice to learn from our mistakes. That's just gonna have to suffice for an "Undo" button for we mere human beings.

And that's about the size of things. :))