Do you ever sit back and reminisce on a certain memory where you wished you would’ve done or said something that you didn’t do in that moment? Yeah, me too. That is called regret and regret is such an awful thing.

Living with regret can eat you alive when you dwell on a certain memory. You sit there and think, “Why didn’t I say that?” or “Why didn’t I do that?” I think most people try to think before they act or respond and be rational to avoid conflict. But could it be possible that we think too long in certain situations? 

A 17-year-old girl heard from her parents that her older brother is in town for a short amount of time. This girl hadn’t seen or heard from her older brother since she was in the third grade and was nine years old. The girl had been desperately trying to contact her brother for years and she never received a response. No one had.  

As time passed anger began to develop inside of the girl because she couldn’t understand why her brother did not what to speak to her. She felt a number of emotions when her brother was brought up in conversation. When the girl had an opportunity to see her brother she declined. She chose not to see him. That girl was me. That was almost three years ago, and I still have not seen or heard from my brother. I let anger take over me in that moment. I had the chance to see my brother and I got in my own way and missed my chance. Now I am full of regrets. 

From time to time I dwell on that memory. It eats me alive. I wish I could go back and do things so differently. I get so angry at myself as I reflect on that moment. It haunts me. I have never been able to shake the feeling of sadness, anger, loneliness and regret. 

Reflect on your life. What do you regret? 

There are certain times when we need to act quickly and times when we need to act slowly. It can be difficult to know which time is the right time to act quickly or slowly. I think we’ve all been in that situation before more often than we would have liked. 

I think that taking a risk when we feel the need to say or do something in a situation is the only way to avoid having regret. I understand that taking a risk can be difficult, but when it’s necessary, take that risk.  

So, I propose a challenge for those who might be full of regret. Take the risk when you feel that it is right to do so. When you’re in a situation and you get this urge to speak or to act, do it. Once that moment is over, you can never go back to it. Think about it and try something different. If you find yourself never acting or speaking, try doing so. It could possibly be the change that needed to happen in your life. 

Stay masked. Stay safe.  

London Green is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected].

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Hi, I’m Lauren Sasala, a senior journalism student from Toledo. I’m also the editor in chief of The Kent Stater and KentWired this semester. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important news about Kent State and the Kent community. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate.