If I Had My Life to Live Over……

The following passage has been forwarded to me a couple of times in recent months. It did make me smile both times for obvious daisy reasons as well as offering some food for thought as to what I might do differently if I had my life to live over.  Here’s the passage……

” Of course, you can’t unfry an egg, but there’s no law against thinking about it.

If I had my life to live over, I would try to make more mistakes. I would relax.

I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would be less hygienic. I would go more places. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice-cream and less spinach. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary troubles.

You see, I have been one of those fellows who live prudently, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I have had my moments. But if I had it to do over again, I would have more of them – a lot more. I never go anywhere without a thermometer, a map, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had it to do over, I would travel lighter.

If I had my life to live over, I would start going barefoot a little earlier in the spring and stay that way a little later in the fall. I would have more dogs. I would keep later hours. I would have more sweethearts. I would fish more. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would go to more circuses.

In a world in which practically everybody else seems to be consecrated to the gravity of the situation, I would rise to glorify the levity of the situation. For I agree with Will Durant, who said, “Gaiety is wiser than wisdom.”

If I had my life to live over, I’d pick more daisies.”
— Copyright © Don Herold

It was while walking down to meet a friend for a swim at the wave pool this morning that I pondered the question (see what being carless does??!! It’s my best pondering time.) “If I have to live my life over, what would I do differently?”

Would I try skydiving? Would I make fewer lists? Would I say “I love you” more often? Would I enjoy more cake? Would I try out for the school play? Would I stop saying “I don’t have time” so often? Would I worry less? Would I learn how to juggle or do a cartwheel? Would I be more daring? Would I keep my house tidier? Would I climb one of the Seven Summits? Would I spend more time listening and less time talking? Would I drive my RV to South America?

My answer is this – If I have to live my life over, the one thing I know for sure that I would do differently is that I would listen to and follow my heart much earlier in life. There’s no question in my mind that would lead to picking more daisies and glancing back 80 years or so down the road saying, “if I had to live my life over, I wouldn’t have changed a thing….I lived trued to me, enjoying a life filled with both gaiety and wisdom.”