Youthful follies II: What mistake do you wish you had made when you had the chance?

I had a chance to stay out in California and start to work in film but instead, moved back to Wisconsin to finish up my bachelors degree. While I’m happy I have my degree, I really would rather be working a job, any job for that matter, in the film industry.

Guess I’ll just have to do something huge in the midwest and hope that it gets noticed. :-/

That’s an interesting thought. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted the mistakes I didn’t make.

I had a chance to live in San Diego and refused it.

::edited to add why it was a mistake:::

It would have been a mistake because my parents would have been alone and have had some events in their lives where they have needed me.

Nope, I’ve pretty much made all the dumbest mistakes I could think of.

(@badapple, @Dog, others, if you didn’t do it, tell us why it would have been a mistake!)

Sleep with that guy at 16.

Seriously, I wish I had disobeyed my guardian and made every mistake girls make when they like a guy, showed him my feelings about how much I liked him and THROWN MYSELF AT HIM LIKE A SHAMELESS HUSSY at 16.

Even if it were just a one night stand and all he’d wanted was a tumble.

Even if every girl at school laughed at me in the hallways, talked about me behind my back and called me a slut.

Even if my guardian grounded me until I left for college.

That’s how just much I liked that guy. It turned out he thought I was pretty and was interested in me. But no, I would get away from him as fast as possible if I saw him in the halls, because I didn’t want him to know that I liked him. I turned down a date with him because my aunt told me that I wasn’t allowed to date or talk to boys, and I didn’t want the other girls making fun of him or me because it would’ve been straight out of Pretty In Pink. Except I was too poor then to even get a second-hand pink Kharman Ghia.

Ran away a few days before I was forced into “walking down the aisle” (the exact day I turned 19)

I wish I did because that marriage turned out real bad.

“Funny how we miss the things we used to do and those we could have done”

None really I don’t think I fully understand the concept of this

Well, @Facade, here’s an example. When I was about 22 I was friends with a young man who was an up-and-coming musician (and who now has a long and great career behind him). He was and is a very attractive man, and I remain very fond of him. Both of us were involved with other people; we were just good friends. But it happened that one day we were alone at the apartment he shared with two roommates, and we were both by chance single at the same time, and he made me a very appealing offer. I was strongly tempted, but I said I’d rather keep his friendship than spoil it with a fling.

Many times since then, I’ve wished I’d gone for the tumble instead of being so mature all of a sudden. So—it would have been a mistake, and I knew it at the time, but now I kind of wish I’d made it.

Oh ok I see…my answer remains the same

I sometimes wish I hadn’t stopped performing. I love my life, but I still think I could have had a great career on Broadway.

@Jeruba – similar situation. A very attractive girl I had a crush on for the longest time. She dated my twin brother rather than me. a year or so after they broke up she wound up hitting on me and made an offer by calling me into the other room. She was standing there in her bra and panties and said “I want to see what I should have choose.”

I wish I would have shown her instead of taking offense and walking out.

I look back and wish I would have dated more, in high school. I dated the same person, for most of the time – even though he wasn’t the best person for me. When we did break up (for a short period of time), I didn’t date. I remained loyal to him. why??? I think I would have “lived” a bit more.

Give it go, @tinyfaery, who says you still can’t try?

Yes, one day I will go back to California.
For some reason that state keeps kicking my ass.
But it is not over. I WILL BE BACK.

I wished I would have consumated my skinny-dipping experience in college. I just had to take the high road. Uggghh!

I passed up a skinny-dipping opportunity that I now wish I had taken.

The young man was someone for whom I’d decided not to take my clothes off, especially not in woods we ought not to have sneaked into after dark (and was a guard going to come around?).

It would have been a mistake because it would have put me in a far too vulnerable position, especially after a few glasses of wine poured into paper cups under the shadow of the trees. I would have found it very hard to keep my distance from unwanted intimacy.

But—skinny-dipping in Walden Pond by moonlight: wouldn’t that be something to say I had done?

(Question from 2009 revived in 2015)

I once responded to a “career development / assessment” type question to the effect of “What goals do you have for the next five years?” with a totally inappropriate (for the questioner) response of, “I would like to sail across the Atlantic single-handed in a small sailboat.”

I don’t regret the response (because it was a pretty stupid question, after all, and at least it got the attention of the reviewer!). I only regret not having tried or at least planned to make that voyage.

1. CHECK
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3. CHECK
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Nope. I did them all. It was a pretty rowdy, and sometimes confusing three and a half years, but I got it all squeezed in. Now I have to work on my midlife crisis list.