Depending on who you ask and when you ask them, life is either short or long.
First-time parents of a newborn without family nearby might say it’s long. Veteran parents watching their youngest kid graduate high school would probably say it’s short.
A once-in-a-lifetime vacation reminds us of our brief time here. A frustrating, boring job reminds us of the endurance required by our existence.
The truth is . . . life is short and long.
I think that’s what makes regret so painful. We experience the intense shortness and vast length of life at the same time.
When we experience regret, we see things we could have done but didn’t. The past suddenly feels long and we sense having wasted some of it. We simultaneously sense an absence of available time to recapture that opportunity. The future suddenly seems short and we feel a sense of limitation.
Regret is feeling like you had plenty of time but didn’t use it well and now you don’t have enough.
Life is short and long.
Everything is training for something. Do the work.
PS - What experience or lesson does this trigger for you? Reply to this email and share your perspective.
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