i used to work in a small arboretum/research area during college.
occasionally, during my lunch break, i would take my lunch over to the hospital and “people watch.” while it’s been years since i’ve ventured inside a hospital, i’ve always been intrigued by the kaleidoscope of energy that swirls around them—love, trust, hope…loss—quite the brew for psychological & behavioral study. (for much the same reason, i also enjoy airports.)
one of these times, i overheard a younger man ask an older man, who knew that he was nearing “death,” if he had any regrets. the older man answered, “yes, i regret living a life full of tragedies—most of which never happened.”
i sat for much longer than my allotted lunchtime absorbing and processing these words. they had a profound effect on me that day and, many years later, still periodically surface in my mind.