It’s the first Monday of the month and that means it’s time for the Question of the Month, hosted by Michael D’Agostino of A Life Examined. This month’s question:
“What’s a decision you’ve made in the past that you know, logically, was the right decision to make, but which you still feel guilty or regretful about?”
This is a tough question. Sure, I’ve made plenty of decisions that I regret, but that’s because they were the wrong decisions, not the right ones. I thought long and hard on this, trying to remember a decision that was the right one but one that I regret.
The only thing that came to mind isn’t anything heavy. In fact, it’s kind of superficial. Many years ago I made a decision to sell some of my prized possessions because I was hard up for cash. I sold some amazing sculptures and an incredible and unique clock. They were unlike anything I had ever seen and I haven’t seen anything like them since. I so regret selling those pieces and really wish I had them back. Especially that damn clock!
I’ve considered drawing a sketch of it and having my contractor build it but I don’t think it would be the same. It was absolutely stunning, this clock. It was taller than me, very contemporary and very Deco in design. It was literally a piece of furniture, it was so big.
I think I sold a piece of my heart that day…and I occasionally mourn that clock still. Silly, huh?
What about you? What decision have you made that you know in your heart was the right one, but one that you regret?
Angels Bark 
Hi, Michele!
My answer is similar to yours. Circa 1990 I sold almost my entire collection of vinyl albums, close to a thousand of them, to raise money to help a friend in need. I took my vinyl treasures, which I had been collecting and carefully preserving since the mid 60s, to a shop that buys back records. The dealer quickly rifled through the albums and plucked out a few he knew would sell quickly, such as the Beatles and Stones. He then placed the rest of the records in stacks on the counter, measured the height of each stack with a ruler, wrote the figures on a pad, added up the total height of the combined stacks and literally paid me for them by the inch! I ended up leaving the shop with only a tiny fraction of what those albums were actually worth and to this day I regret entering into that lopsided transaction even though it was for a worthy cause.
Have a wonderful week, dear friend Michele!
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Ugh! I feel your pain Shady! At least you sold yours. I GAVE my entire collection away! And I still regret it to this day.
I’m sure you have quite the collection. I hope your friend was grateful for your sacrifice…
Thanks for coming by!
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I bet there are some things I regret getting rid of over the years, but as my memory has gone to pot, I can’t think of any right now. Oh wait. When my kids were little, we had a set of collapsible tubes and cubes for building little forts. I could really use them now to entertain our new kitten. So I’ll end up buying the same thing twice. Oh well!
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I’ve done that too, buy the same thing twice. Usually it’s because I don’t remember that I have it already and go out and buy another one and then find the one I had shortly thereafter. That makes me crazy!
Thanks for coming by Tamara.
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But then again you could figure that it’s just stuff and selling it for no matter what you might have gotten is better than having had it stolen or losing it in a fire or something. Stuff just gets replaced by other stuff and we get over it.
Like Tom I sometimes regret having sold a bunch of my albums a few years ago. It sounds like maybe I got a better deal for mine, but still they are gone. On the other hand though, I look at all of my CD collection, remaining LP’s, and cassettes and realize how rarely I listen to any of these and figure what’s the point. I would currently be financially better off if I had invested all the money I spent on music, but then again I would have missed out on a lot of listening enjoyment over the years.
Stuff is just stuff and you can’t take it with you when you go.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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“Stuff is just stuff and you can’t take it with you when you go.”: so true! And you’re right, stuff is just stuff and in the scheme of life is really quite meaningless, but some of the things I’ve parted with I do really regret.
I’m like you: I have so many CDs that are just sitting there collecting dust. That’s a lot of money I spent right there! But hindsight is always 20/20…
Thanks for coming by.
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Selling the clock was better than starving to death, in which case you wouldn’t get to enjoy the clock either. I can think of plenty of wrong decisions I made that I regret, but none that were the right decision that I regret. Perhaps ripping up and getting rid of all the pictures from my first marriage, because that was a part of my history. I did it in an angry mood and there have been times I wished I had those pictures back. But, being in a healthy marriage for the last 32 years, I guess I don’t really need them, right?
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Right! But I can understand your desire for wanting to look back…. to see that dress, to jog your memory and remember the experiences, etc.
I’m glad you’re in a healthy marriage now and that last one was but a speck on your life’s timeline…
Thanks for coming by Janet…
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I’ve never had many expensive possessions. I hope you find a replacement for that piece of your heart.
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I probably won’t ever find that clock again, but at least I can see it in my mind’s eye. Besides, where would I put it now?? 🙂
Thanks for coming by Susan
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My one decision that I know what right but I am still regretful about will sound very selfish to some. I made the decision to take in my grandkids and finish raising them. I gave up my retirement years for them. I regret that. But I am glad they are here with me. Such a wishy-wasy answer, but it is how I feel!
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I totally understand your regret there. And see that you probably wouldn’t change it for the world because I know how much those grandkids mean to you and how much you love them, but I’m sure there’s regret looking back at all the experiences you could’ve had, had you not been tied down. Nothing wishy-washy about that answer!
Thanks for coming by Paula.
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I relate to your answer big time. I sold some clothes on ebay that I regret giving up. I needed the money at the time, but I didn’t get what they were worth. One was a beautiful full-length faux fur coat. People asked me all the time if it was real (no way would I buy real fur). I figured I didn’t need it in Florida, and I don’t, but I still miss it! What if I go some place cold for a visit? I’ve never seen another coat like it. I also left some things behind when I got divorced. I didn’t get it in writing that they would be returned to me (I had a verbal promise from X that I could store some things in our house and he would send them to me when I was settled), and they weren’t when I asked for them. It broke my heart. All the flatware that my mom gave me is gone. I saw eight place settings of it on ebay for more than $300. It’s vintage and hard to find. I’ve managed to replace most of it over time, but it’s not what my mom collected and gave to me with love. I’m so sorry about the items you’ve lost. It’s easy to say that it’s just stuff, but it’s not. Some things have great sentimental value.
Love,
Janie
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Oh I feel your pain for real. I would be so angry and harbor so much resentment at the ex for that vindictive move.
I’m glad you were able to replace many of the settings but you’re right, they’re not what your mom gave you. Shame on him for doing that. i hope he paid for it dearly!
Thanks for coming by Janie…
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I get this. It may be material, but it can still be annoying and maybe even painful to miss something that’s difficult or impossible to replace.
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Thanks. It’s hardest when it’s impossible to replace.
I’m not materialistic per se, but I do have attachments to my “stuff” — my stuff means something to me and when something goes away or breaks, it does sting a bit.
Thanks for coming by Toi.
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It sounds like that made sense at the time. They were just things, after all. If it was something that you were meant to have, it could come back to you in a different form.
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mmm, great way to look at that! Yes! If I was meant to have it, it would still be here. I guess it was meant for someone else…
Thanks for coming by Liz.
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It’s too bad you had to give up some of your prized possessions, Michele. 😦 At least you had them to sell and that helped your situation at the time. I can totally relate! Back in the early ’80s, hubby and I both got laid off and I had to sell some gold jewellery my grandmother gave me as a teenager. They were unique pieces and I wish I could find them to buy back.
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