No Regrets

Ringing… Ringing… No, it is music.  What is it?  It is such familiar tune.  I know I have heard it before.  Wait, yes, I recognize it now.  My alarm is going off!!!  It is morning once again.  A new day and it is time to get up and get ready for work.  Have you ever had those mornings when you wake up and think to yourself, “I really don’t want to get up.  I really don’t want to go to work today.”  Maybe it is a difficult situation at the office that you are dreading to face today.  Maybe you really don’t like your job but you have to do it to get through season in life.  Maybe you simply burnt out.

But you get up.  You get your cup of fresh coffee.  You work out.  You go through your usual morning routine.  Off to work you go.  You really want to be a good worker, employee, manager, owner, or whatever you role might be.  Your work day goes just fine.  That difficult situation you were facing gets resolved.  You take a deep breath.  You go home feeling alright about a good day’s work.

Why do we do things even if we don’t want to do them?  The answer is simple–we HAVE to do them.  After all, bills need to be paid, house needs to be cleaned, and lawn needs to be mowed.  Than what about things we don’t have to do but enjoy doing?  Do you ever regret not doing something?  Let me answer this question for myself by stating this first.  There is definitely a time and place to say “No” to things.  Sometimes the best things is to take a day off and rest.

Sometimes we have to give ourselves a little kick.

A few weeks ago after working on a Saturday, I came home with a thought that I wanted to do something with the kids.  Idea of going hiking crossed my mind, which triggered a defensive mechanism inside my brain.  “But you had a long work week.  You are exhausted. Look how comfortable that couch looks.  Surely you can find some interesting sporting event to watch on TV while enjoying the couch.”  And this goes on. “Guys!  Let’s go hiking,” with a struggle in my head I pushed the words out of my mouth.  No, there is no going back now.  It is too late to back down anyway.  Kids bursting with excitement already are filling up their water bottles and putting their shoes on.  We all pile up in the car and drive to a great hiking spot nearby called “Raven Run Nature Sanctuary.”

About thirty minute drive and we set our feet on a trail leading to a point overlooking Kentucky River with a breathtaking view.  My son who is six talks the whole time–he is so excited!  My daughter, nine, has her journal out.  She is making sketches of things that she sees and writing down bullet points for a poem in progress.  I have my camera.  I am in my happy place photographing nature and the family.  What about my lovely wife?  Beside enjoying the hike, she is cracking up at the three of us acting like little children.  The first two actually are.

I don’t always make good choices, but there were definitely no regrets about this one.  I made a choice to do something I didn’t feel like doing at the moment.  Sometimes we have to give ourselves a little kick.  We do a good job at putting a great deal of effort into doing our jobs.  What if we put just as much effort into doing things we enjoy?  For me it is time well spent with family and friends creating memories together.