Regrets and Choices

I hear the phrase "No regrets" a lot, and while I appreciate the sentiment, I'm not sure it applies to my life. Or anyone's life for that matter. I think if people were to be truly honest with themselves, they could never really say they had NO regrets. I mean come on... I'm currently regretting the frozen meal I had for lunch. Now I know that's a bit on the lighter side of things, but still, you get my point. I have a great deal of regrets, hindsight being what it is and all. In my youth I made many a regrettable choice, and though I learned a lot, I still wish I had chosen differently. Would I be where I am today without those choices? No. But who knows, maybe I'd be somewhere better. Or maybe I'd be a better person. We'll never know. But I look at things a little differently than others. It's less about not having regrets, and more about accepting those things, and dealing with them the best way you can. Having regrets means I've made mistakes. And even though I learned from them, and ideally, am a better person because of it, I still regret the initial mistake. I'm flawed. We all are. So of course we have regrets.
This brings me to other choices I have made. In 34 years on this planet, I have made and lost many friends. I have cut people out of my life, or accepted my removal from theirs. Some people are not meant to be in your life forever. This doesn't mean that I didn't cherish the time we shared, or that I regret having  had them in my life. They came (and went) for a reason. I accept this. Is it often sad? Of course. It is never easy to let go of people who were once important to you. But sometimes it is necessary. Sometimes I think we try to hold on to the person, when we should just hold on to the memories. Letting go of those people doesn't mean you hate them. It just means you made the choice to love yourself, and remove yourself from a less than ideal relationship or situation. I've never destroyed photos or mementos from my past. Instead I treasure them, as a reminder that each person that comes into my life teaches me something valuable. Gifts that were given in kindness will always remind me of good times with that individual, and even if that person is no longer a part of my present (or future) they were a part of my past, and I will always be thankful for that. Some truths are harder to accept than others, but that doesn't make them any less true. Sometimes being the bigger person doesn't mean forgiving and forgetting. Sometimes it means moving on, and accepting that not all things can be forgiven or forgotten, and being ok with that. It's not about holding grudges. It's about knowing when to say "I deserve better than this." and meaning it. It's about knowing yourself, and what's best for you, and not letting the opinions and assumptions of others sway you.
This is me. This is who I am. Regrets, flaws, mistakes and all. I own it. You may not always like me, and you will more than likely disagree with my choices from time to time. I can accept that. I'm not living my life to please you, or anyone else. In whatever amount of time I have left on this planet, I plan to learn and grow as much as I can. I will make many more mistakes, and I will make many choices that people won't understand. But as long as I know that I am doing the best I can, and choosing what is best for me, I'm ok with that. Because the choices and regrets are my own.