On the Lounge Paul asked the question, “What is the dumbest things you ever did” under the heading “Let’s liven things up around here” in the Lounge.  This is an excellent topic and one which allows for many different styles of response from serious to the jocular.  Yes I used the word “jocular”; only because it is a word you seldom see these days, much like “happenstance”.  Don’t worry I won’t use “happenstance” today but only because I couldn’t figure out where to work it in.  There’s always tomorrow.

When I thought about Paul’s question and the possible real life responses I said to myself (I do that a lot the older I get) this sounds like it would require something embarrassing, a mistake or a regret from one’s past.  My personal philosophical take on this is that if one is happy with one’s life or circumstances then can you really say that anything that transpired in your personal history was a mistake.  If you could go back and make changes to your past then it could and very likely would have dire consequences on the present and therefore the future.  If you said that you are not happy with your present circumstances then you could make those changes by going back to school, for example.  I noticed that some of the members have done just that after retirement from their careers.  This thinking rather ruled out “mistake” from any response I might undertake to write.

I do wish I could have made some sort of humorous reply, however a lack of any appreciable sense of humour on my part would make that an impossibility.  I blame a lack of comic ability on my rather stoic British/Germanic upbringing, which at times was rather Dickensian in nature, to say the least. That old “stiff upper lip” and “staying the course” or simply “man up” has left me the rather bland and linear thinking person you see today.  Just so you know, we anal retentive people tend to prefer “linear thinking” as a term to describe ourselves.

I was left with regret as a subject for a response but felt that this would only serve to “pirate” Paul’s post somewhat; therefore, I decided to write this message as a blog. 

Around Christmas time, several years hence, a very good friend of mine passed away.  We were extremely close and shared in numerous adventures including hunting and fishing as well as just “hanging out” together.  His passing had a devastating effect on me, not so much that he is no longer with us, which is a deep sadness, but because I never got to tell him something I think was very important.  Perhaps you know what I mean.  There never was a correct time or place; we were either having too much of a good time to possibly ruin the moment or the moment was too serious or sad to bring up what might have been an awkward subject.  Now my close friend has gone to his grave and I can never tell him that which I agonized over for many years.

I so wish I had simply blurted it out regardless of the situation or the atmosphere of the moment.  Sadly my dog died never knowing he was adopted.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Regards

Brian