As we get older, it is strange that snippets of songs and poems return to our minds with new meaning: Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and Frank Sinatra’s “I did it my way” dropped in unexpectedly, after reading an article about the prevalence of regrets in people of a certain age. We will call this the “would’ve-could’ve-should’ve syndrome.” It seems that many people, 40 on up, are afflicted. What’s a 40 something to do when regrets keep him awake at night, ruminating? The solution seems clear. The prescription is action! It is never too late to do most things you wished you had done, although it may not be possible to do them precisely as you had envisioned. Pick something you always wanted to do – be an athlete, be a “parent” to a kid, be a student, be in your dream job, be a great friend or romantic mate, etc, then find a way to express that today, now, and not a moment later because time is finite. “Time’s Winged Chariot,” and all that, but that’s another poem. Anyway, it may also help to remember that life in a free country offers an endless variety of possibilities to actualize your dreams; you know, the wishes that your heart desires. If you choose one avenue, one road to get there, though that also means that you may have by-passed another. Your choice can alter the outcome of your dream, taking you another direction on this strange, exciting trip that is our life. Finally though, as you “face the final curtain,” you may still have a few twinges of things undone, but, if you begin today to choose to have the will to do, to act, to participate: Do that one thing that makes your heart sing and your spirit soar because you can and you should. Do it your way, today!
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Cliff & Tatjana Eggink are health and fitness writers, USA Triathlon certified coaches and trainers.