There is no doubt that I have had countless successful moments in my life. But with success comes a myriad of failure and regrets.
I remember vividly the emotions that ran through me when I was so close in achieving a dream that I would literally day dream about every single day. But I also remember vividly when numerous road blocks began to occur to prevent me from turning that dream into a reality. Little did I know that these heart breaking moments would lead to multiple doors of opportunity.
As many know, I was unable to march with the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets (for those of you that have no idea what I mean, read below. If you still are oblivious, think of a baseball player able to play in the minor league farm system for the Dodgers or Yankees). But because I was not on tour this summer busting my ass 12+ hours everyday in the heat, I got to do a few things that I would have gladly accepted had I known prior that these gains would have compensated for a lost dream.
First of all, I was able to get a summer job. Although I was only able to work for a little over a month, I gained alot out of it. I realized the the importance of education. It would be very hard to attempt living a full life off of $8.40 per hour. Not only are the wages very low, but the chances of injury are very substantial, endangering the employee in becoming less reliable and therefore, a drop in salary in the long run. Not only have a realized the importance of education, but I have forged myself an experience that I may put on future job applications, making me a more reliable individual in America’s workforce. And hey, $1800 in my pocket isn’t too bad either.
Most importantly, this past summer I got to make some new friendships or rekindle old ones. One friendship in particular, however, does make me regret for not meeting this individual sooner (if you’re reading this, you know who you are). I find it AMAZING how within a matter of two weeks we’ve become very close. Heck, even closer than some of my other “close friends”. Talking to you made my day THAT MUCH better because of your randomness and spontaneity. Who would have ever thought misunderstandings can make the atmosphere MORE FUN rather than casting a negative cloud over it? I’m glad I met you, but I regret it being so late. But hey, everything happens for a reason, right?
So next time, when the world seems to be falling apart because of a regret or a radical change in your life, stop and try to be optimistic. Ask yourself how many windows of opportunity this opens and how you can make the best of it. There is always a reason as to why something happens.
The Integral 