Day 23: Things I Don't Regret

Back on Day 13 I spoke of regrets, the things we kick ourselves for, as if we somehow should have known with foresight what we now know only in hindsight. 

But what about the things we don't regret? What are the things that we are so glad we followed through on, no matter how big or small, difficult or easy? What are the things we look back on and think, "I absolutely got that right"?

I have a few of those:

• Walking away from horses. Not even a question in my mind. This was one of the smartest things I've ever done in my life, and if I had to do it over, I'd do the exact same thing over again, which is such a mystery to people who knew me well back then. Horses were my life. But yep, I'd walk away all over again without so much as a second glance over my shoulder. Never once have I regretted that.

• Quitting social media.  That is well-documented elsewhere, but also a no-brainer and also one of the smartest things I've ever done in my life.

• Buying a Subaru over a Ford. I love my Subie and I'm glad I picked that over my dream of a Ford pickup truck. 

• Quitting my job to stay in Kenya. It was a leap, but one well worth it. It felt energizing to step off that cliff, to leave my job, rearrange plans and spend an extra month and a half in Kenya. And leaving that last job opened up the doors to the job I've now had for a decade.

• Moving in with my parents. There was a period of about 18 months after I had a pretty epic mental health crisis where I decided to move back home with my parents while I sorted out life and everything that had erupted in my brain. That felt like admitting defeat, being in my 30s and moving back home to literally live in my parents' basement, but I don't think I could have gotten healthy in the timeframe that I did otherwise. (Thanks, Mom and Dad.)

• Seeing Ben Rector in concert. I've seen Ben multiple times, but one particular concert I went to, I was sicker than a dog. My friend Jill has been with me to every Ben Rector concert and on a lark we decided to go see him in Cincinnati years ago. I was feeling miserable, but we still decided to go. It was the best concert I've ever been to. (Bonus! I'll be seeing him this week at the Kennedy Center! A full report to come later.)

• Joining a gym. Y'all. Going to the gym has literally changed my life. I used to have chronic low back problems and at worst, I had a herniated disc. Absolute misery. I vowed I would never go through that again so long as it was in my power. I got my fanny into a gym after that. This is consistently the healthiest and strongest I've ever been in my life.

And just for fun:

• Ordering Chick-fil-A. Is it even possible to go wrong with Chick-fil-A? I've never regretted this decision in my life. 😋