Regrets.  Life can be tough when we look back and see things we wish we had handled differently.   Have you ever thought about how our tongue is used in most of our regrets?  It's amazing to see the fire we can start with such a small member of our body.  With our tongue we can manipulate, argue, slander, gossip meddle, betray, belittle, judge, curse, complain, accuse, discourage or keep silent when we shouldn't.  That is a long list of  life shattering events we can add to another's life by  calculated or casual words  we say.  Don't you agree that from this list many regrets take shape?   The habit of engaging our mouth unnecessarily can be hard to break,  but not as hard  as the regrets we have to live with from saying hurtful things.

Regret is a hugh waste of time!  There is not a single thing that can be done about something that has already occurred. But the future holds all kinds of possibilities of how we can change a situation. Especially when it is within our power to mend something we regret. "I'm sorry" is not a popular phrase, nor is it used often enough in marriages, between parents and children or friends. But the person that learns to say those words from the heart is in a mode of personal growth.  Just imagine the difference in relationships if only someone would say, "I'm sorry." 

If you are not the person that caused hurt in a situation you might encounter,  could it be that you could at least be the first one to say, "I'm sorry that there are misunderstandings  between us."  There are so many ways to make things better. And believe me when I say there are hurting people all over the world.  If you are not having relationship problems at the present time,  at least listen to someone who needs to talk and encourage them to  proceed with caution in personal dilemmas that often cause regret. Remind them that many times our mouth is our weapon of choice when angered or mistreated, but there are consequences to words we say.

Not only is regret a waste of time, but it steals our present moments.  Life is so short. If you  don't realize that fact yet, that bit of knowledge will come!   If we still have time to say "I'm sorry", or "I was wrong" and don't do it, I can assure you, the time will come when you will regret that too!  We can't change the past, we can only work with the future and there the sky is the limit. And let me give you a little hint to life:  It's usually the more mature one in a situation that says, "I'm sorry."

Even as we try to mend situations, it's good to remind ourself that outward behavior, good or bad,  is only a result of our inner life.  A negative or positive mind absolutely plays out in our reactions to those around us. If we see or expect the worst in others, it a cinch, that is what we get.  Our thoughts become our actions. It's true, our mind is a battlefield. We choose our actions by the things we think.   This subject is addressed  in other entries on this site.  See other "Up Close and Personal" titles, as well as "Soul Matters".

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 "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, "It might have been."
George Ade, More Fables

The Anger Factor If You Only Knew What Do You Have In Mind? Living With Yourself Forget Me Taking Charge of Your Life Eliminate and Consentrate Your Rainbow's End Living In The Moment When Your Timing Is Off What A Mind! What's A Body To Do? A Year Of Discovery Relationships Your Emotions Are Showing Making The Bitter Better Those Never Ending Thoughts Your Mind Can Make It Happen Altitudes and Altitudes That Mental Picture The Power of PMA A Mind Thing: Aging

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