No Regrets

I try to live my life with no regrets. After all, you cannot go back and change anything. What's done, is done!

This week's challenge from 52 in 10 is to scrap about Life's Lessons - what life has taught you and the advice you would give to your younger self if you had the chance. And to include a quotation in your journaling.

It's a difficult subject. To open up your inner thoughts for everyone to see. It's not easy for a private person like myself, but here goes...

I do have one regret, an event that I should have handled differently as it has coloured my whole life.

I was very young, probably 6 or 7 years old and at Nanny's house. My cousins were there too. When it was time for them to leave, my Aunt told my cousin Roy, one year older than me and someone I idolised, to kiss everyone goodbye. He dutifully kissed everyone on the cheek until he came to me. He refused to kiss me and turned away. Of course everyone laughed and they left to go home.

A minor, silly incident, but it had a major effect on me. I learned that day that I was not a pretty girl. I grew up very shy and lacking in confidence. Throughout my teenage years and beyond, that one event changed me into who I am. To this day I do not draw attention to myself, hate meeting new people, and have a very real fear of making public speeches. At work I am a different person, hiding behind my profession, but I actually enjoy meeting patients and talking to them. In my home life I will go to any lengths to avoid unfamiliar social situations.

The advice I would give to that young Me would be to ignore my stupid cousin! - what does he know? - and to be confident in myself and my abilities. To make the most of the looks I have been given. Not to be shy, but to put myself forward at every opportunity and experience life to the full. Most importantly, not to accept second best because I believe it is only what I deserve.

Because of the page format I have chosen, 12x6, I cannot include more than one Life Lesson really, so this is the one I have scrapped today. The journaling is hidden behind the photo which I have hinged so that it can be lifted to reveal 'the story'.

And the quotation I chose to include?

'All things are difficult before they are easy' Thomas Fuller, MD.

QUOTATIONS

I love the English language. I love the fact that the younger generation has a sub-language all their own (as my generation did way back when!) and new words enter the language all the time. For example many computer-related words are now a common part of the language. I even thought of becoming a Journalist when I was younger (but was never really good enough) and like everyone, I believe I have a book within me that I just need to write someday. But loving the language is not the same as being able to string words together into a sentence that reaches out and has real meaning for others who read it, so much so that those words are frequently copied and passed on for others to enjoy.

Many people have favourite lines they can remember from films, or can recite a whole poem from memory because they like it. My daughter has a ‘hoodie’ with a quote on the back from her favourite book which was made into a film. I like to remember the words of some wonderful authors and poets who have written in the English language over the years and whose use of the language is an inspiration to others. I love quotations. I collect them. I hoard them. I write them down in case I want to use them in the future.

Some people are happy creating a card with just the words ‘Thank You’ on, but me, I like to use quotes if I can instead. To replace Thank You, I might use,

‘Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.’

For a card to a friend I might use:

‘The best mirror is an old friend’ George Herbert

There are quotes on every subject you can think of. Most of them have a message that is absolutely timeless. Like this one from Mother Teresa:

‘LIFE is a challenge - meet it

LIFE is a promise - fulfil it

LIFE is a dream - realise it’

My family are so used to having a quotation on their handmade cards, they feel hard-done-by when I haven’t included one.

What sparked off this train of thought? Yet another of those hated Online Registration Forms that I was filling in the other day. The form asked me to write my favourite quotation. What?? Just ONE? How could I have one favourite above all others? Don't they realise I collect quotes? This would take some thought.

Well, my ONE quote would have to be inspiring, uplifting, and words that I or anyone else could relate to. I had to come off the website to consider my response!………….

……Eventually, I wrote,

‘What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within Us.’

Ralph Waldo Emerson

(you probably guessed that from the photo above)

So - what would be YOUR one favourite quotation? And don’t take all day to think about it!