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| Leaving
the City of Regret |
I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year,
and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was
going to be unpleasant and I knew in advance that no real good
would come of it. I'm talking about my annual "Guilt Trip."
I got tickets to fly there on Wish I Had airlines. It was an
extremely short flight. I got my baggage, which I could not check.
I chose to carry it myself all the way. It was weighted down with
a thousand memories of what might have been. No one greeted me as
I entered the terminal to the Regret City International Airport.
I say international because people from all over the world come
to this dismal town.
As I checked into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed that they would
be hosting the year's most important event, the Annual Pity Party.
I wasn't going to miss that great social occasion. Many of the
towns leading citizens would be there.
First, there would be the Done family, you know, Should Have, Would
Have and Could Have. Then came the I Had family. You probably know
ol' Wish and his clan. Of course, the Opportunities would be present,
Missed and Lost. The biggest family would be the Yesterday's. There
are far too many of them to count, but each one would have a very
sad story to share.
Then Shattered Dreams would surely make and appearance. And It's
Their Fault would regale us with stories (excuses) about how things
had failed in his life, and each story would be loudly applauded by
Don't Blame Me and I Couldn't Help It.
Well, to make a long story short, I went to this depressing party
knowing that there would be no real benefit in doing so. And, as
usual, I became very depressed. But as I thought about all of the
stories of failures brought back from the past, it occurred to me
that all of this trip and subsequent "pity party" could be cancelled
by ME! I started to truly realize that I did not have to be there.
I didn't have to be depressed. One thing kept going through my mind,
I CAN'T CHANGE YESTERDAY, BUT I DO HAVE THE POWER
TO MAKE TODAY A WONDERFUL DAY. I can be happy,
joyous, fulfilled, encouraged, as well as encouraging. Knowing this,
I left the City of Regret immediately and left no forwarding address.
Am I sorry for mistakes I've made in the past? YES! But there is no
physical way to undo them.
So, if you're planning a trip back to the City of Regret, please
cancel all your reservations now. Instead, take a trip to a place
called, Starting Again. I liked it so much that I have now taken up
permanent residence there. My neighbors, the I Forgive Myselfs and
the New Starts are so very helpful. By the way, you don't have to
carry around heavy baggage, because the load is lifted from your
shoulders upon arrival. God bless you in finding this great town.
If you can find it -- it's in your own heart -- please look me up.
I live on I Can Do It street.
--Larry Harp |
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