Avoiding Regrets

Talking about what you’ve done in the past year is relatively easy. But thinking through what you didn’t do is a wee bit more nuanced.

Yesterday’s #reverb10 prompt asks, “Beyond Avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)”

When I read first read this, I started thinking about regrets. What am I disappointed I didn’t do this year?

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with all I’ve accomplished. Sure, not everything has gone to plan, but I’m happy with how the year has turned out.

Though there is one big thing I didn’t do this year.

I didn’t really travel. I took two short trips: to San Diego for work in February, and a long weekend in New York for a September wedding. Neither was a destination I chose out of my own interest, and the dates and timings were picked for me.

I absolutely love to travel, to get out of my comfort zone and explore new places, wander through neighborhoods and just take in an area. Growing up, my family traveled a ton, using the “explore everything until we collapse from dehydration or exhaustion” method. It was fantastic. I’ve seen just enough of the world that I’m hungry to see more.

I was on the verge of booking a trip to Ireland for late summer. After a lot of research, I had finally found the perfect itinerary that would let me see all I wanted to see (from Dublin all the way west, including biking the Dingle Peninsula) while coordinating the minutiae of lodging, transfers etc. But I couldn’t get dates and flights to align before school started, so I put the trip on hold.

So next year, I vow to travel more, to make a conscious effort to see and do more. (I reached the end of the year and had taken barely any days off – I hope not to have that “problem” next year.)

What do you regret not doing this year?

This post is part of #Reverb10, a month-long project to reflect on the year nearly gone. Read all my #Reverb10 posts, or learn more.