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.