If I Could Turn Back Time..

...which, of course, you CAN do this weekend. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 AM on Sunday; although in my house the clocks are turned back early on Saturday night. At least that is the case for those that have to be manually controlled; so many "smart" appliances handle this themselves, which is a good thing since I have been known to set the clock ahead when I am supposed to set it back and vice versa.

But haven't most of us (if not all of us) wanted at one time or another to actually turn back time?  To have a chance to do things differently?  To make a wiser decision?   To the person who says he has no regrets in his life, I call bullshit.

I may be relatively happy with my life and I'm not saying that I'd marry someone else or move across country or anything like that, but I know that if I had the chance (which I don't), I would go back and do a few things differently.

Like what?

I would have traveled more and not let the fear of the unknown hold me back.

I would have dated less.  Being alone does not equal being lonely and too often I threw myself into relationships that were pointless.

I would have saved more (don't most of us wish that?) and invested with more wisdom.  (That jeep was a BIG mistake.)

I would be a better friend and keep in touch with those that I foolishly let go by the wayside.  (On the flip side, there are some trivial friends/acquaintances that I should have not wasted my time on.)

As a mom, I would make the most/biggest changes to how I parent.  I would have pushed harder on some things (picky eating, study/homework habits, joining/becoming a regular member/attendee of art club) and held back on others (t-ball wasn't necessary, "forced" play dates).  I would be a more focused mom; a more diligent mom.  A woman aware of the multitude of dramas, problems, achievements, etc. that each day brings.  A woman who puts her foot down and then lets it stay there.  Someone who doesn't wobble like a weeble.  

But other than changing the clocks twice a year, we CAN"T turn back time.  We all have regrets or wish we could have done things differently.  What we CAN do is learn from our history/past/mistakes.  We CAN change ourselves and our circumstances so that history does not repeat itself.  We can act so that future regrets are fewer.  We can work towards being the kind of people that we truly want to be.  (Emphasis especially on the word WORK because it IS work.  Being a "good" or "better" person is not easy and requires conscious effort daily, if not hourly!)

This weekend as I "turn back time," I'm going to remember this:  the past cannot be changed, but the future is mine to make.