I had a lot of regrets on Friday.
I regretted sleeping in (luckily this came later in the day – I had no regrets at 7 am! Or 8! Or 9!).
I regret paying $1.35 for a candy bar that got stuck in the vending machine.
I regret that I am too shy to wiggle a vending machine in front of a bunch of strangers. (I needed that twix, yall!)
About ten minutes into class, I regretted sitting next to a trash can that somebody threw (judging by the smell) week old banana peels in.
I regret stopping this afternoon to offer help to a guy in apparent automobile distress – no wait, I don’t regret that. I regret that I didn’t notice he was in the parking lot of a mechanic shop and wearing a mechanic uniform with the name of the shop on it before I stopped and offered my help.
I just realized I was describing my typical Monday. This was a Friday, people.
I think regret is a natural part of human nature and a useful learning tool. Maybe because regret stems from reflection and self assessment – both things humans are good at in a completely skewed, self-centric kind of way. The learning process insists that we look back and judge ourselves. Often we may be disappointed, usually because we expect more of ourselves. This disappointment, for me at least, generally culminates in regret – I like to think it’s because I have high expectations for myself – followed by a learning moment. I get confused when people insist on having no regrets. Is there a learning process that YOLOers get and I don’t? And which approach is better to live by?
Last Friday I learned to pay more attention to my surroundings and to get over myself when there is a candy bar on the line.
Meredith R. Allen 
HAHAHA I love the picture that you ended this on… by the way! But this was pretty hilarious, I must say. I have been there! I paid $2.90 making TWO attempts to get a bag of Jalapeno Cheetos because they got stuck the first time and so I thought, well I’ll just get a second bag and save them for tomorrow for another snack because two bags couldn’t get stuck! I was wrong. They both got stuck, and by that time my shame was too great to pay another $1.45 to get those dang Cheetos in Clark C *sniffle*
I thought your blog post was great though, your voice has developed very nicely and very quickly! It’s hilarious. I also liked your post about ironing, I still haven’t bought one of those, but I’m sad to say my ‘hot shot’ doesn’t have one either, we’re growing together, haha.
I was in Clark C, too! As of right now, I am refusing to use all vending machines in Clark. Multiple incidents are unacceptable! I totally thought about trying to get a two-fer as well (great minds!). Sorry for your cheetos misfortune, but I’m glad I didn’t try!
Ahhh you make me laugh. But in a thought provoking, she’s on to something there kind of way. I have a feeling that anytime I see someone shaking a vending machine now I’ll think you and your candy bar regret. Sadly, I’m not a vending machine shaker, either. It appears that it requires some sort of devil may care bravado that I just don’t have. Or, a certain desperate hunger.
I’m comforted to know that public vending machine shaking is a wider fear than I realized (there are dozens of us!). I was at Roseanne Barr Snickers Commercial hunger, and I still couldn’t bring myself to do it! Ah well, the meek shall inherit the Earth. Just not it’s candy bars, apparently.
This is a great post! That picture is maybe the funniest thing I have seen all day.
thanks!