Leaving the City of Regret {Insp}

"Leaving the City of Regret"
by Larry Harp

I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of
year, and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly.
This trip was going to be unpleasant and I knew in
advance that no real good would come of it. I'm
talking about my annual "Guilt Trip."

I got tickets to fly there on "Wish I Had" airlines. It was
an extremely short flight. I got my baggage, which I
could not check. I chose to carry it myself all the way.
It was weighted down with a thousand memories of
what might have been. No one greeted me as I
entered the terminal to the Regret City International
Airport. I say international because people from all
over the world come to this dismal town.

As I checked into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed that
they would be hosting the year's most important event,
the Annual Pity Party. I wasn't going to miss that great
social occasion. Many of the towns leading citizens
would be there.

First, there would be the Done family, you know,
Should Have, Would Have and Could Have. Then
came the I Had family. You probably know ol' Wish
and his clan. Of course, the Opportunities would be
present, Missed and Lost. The biggest family would be
the Yesterdays. There are far too many of them to count,
but each one would have a very sad story to share.

Then Shattered Dreams would surely make and
appearance. And It's Their Fault would regale us with
stories (excuses) about how things had failed in his life,
and each story would be loudly applauded by Don't
Blame Me and I Couldn't Help It.

Well, to make a long story short, I went to this depressing
party knowing that there would be no real benefit in doing
so. And, as usual, I became very depressed. But as I
thought about all of the stories of failures brought back
from the past, it occurred to me that all of this trip and
subsequent "pity party" could be cancelled by "ME!" I
started to truly realize that I did not have to be there. I
didn't have to be depressed. One thing kept going through
my mind, I CAN'T CHANGE YESTERDAY, BUT I DO HAVE
THE POWER TO MAKE TODAY A WONDERFUL DAY. I
can be happy, joyous, fulfilled, encouraged, as well as
encouraging. Knowing this, I left the City of Regret immediately
and left no forwarding address. Am I sorry for mistakes I've
made in the past? YES! But there is no physical way to undo
them.

So, if you're planning a trip back to the City of Regret, please
cancel all your reservations now. Instead, take a trip to a
place called, Starting Again. I liked it so much that I have
now taken up permanent residence there. My neighbors,
the I Forgive Myself and the New Starts are so very helpful.

By the way, you don't have to carry around heavy baggage,
because the load is lifted from your shoulders upon arrival.
G~d bless you in finding this great town. If you can find it --
it's in your own heart -- please look me up. I live on "I
Can Do It" street.
Received on Sun Dec 31 08:06:18 2006