Eat the cheesecake.

Last week I was listening to Dave Ryan's show (he gets credit for a lot of my blog ideas....thanks, Dave) and they were talking about the 10 biggest regrets people have on their deathbed.

Here's the condensed version:

I regret that I ...
...Didn't pursue my own dreams
...Worked too much and never had time for family
...Didn't make more time for friends
...Didn't say "I Love You" more
...Didn't speak my mind
...Wasn't the bigger person and worked to resolve problems more often
...Didn't have kids
...Didn't save more money for retirement
...Did not have the courage to live truthfully
...Didn't acknowledge that happiness is a choice

And besides hoping that one dying person didn't have all 10 of those regrets (because that would be terribly, terribly sad), it got me thinking about how unoriginal and predictable this list actually is. And how the real reasons for these regrets are probably pretty lame excuses for not living the life you know you should be living - way before you are on your deathbed.

Listen, without getting too Tim McGraw on you, no one can know how much time they have to play the game.  It's a harsh truth. And having regrets as tragically deep as 'Did not have the courage to live truthfully' would be something that would be a damn shame to realize when it's too late. And these aren't novel ideas.  We all know we should say "I Love You" more....should not put family ahead of the job (sometimes that isn't as much of a choice as it is a survival tactic, however)....and that we should be saving our pennies for a rainy day (ditto).  So I'm not here to preach to you about going after your dreams and working hard and not playing the victim and to choose to have a happy and fulfilled life - all those things are obvious, and I'm fairly certain I'm the last person you'd like to hear that from.  I think what is important to stop and have awareness of, though, are the little things and moments that somehow string themselves together and create the fabric of your life.

So this weekend I decided to create my own list of things that - if I were about to take my last breath - I think I'd probably regret, and things that if I start now, are fairly easy to achieve.

I regret that I...
...Didn't take more naps (shut up, Husband)
...Didn't order that piece of pumpkin cheesecake at the Barnes & Noble Starbucks on 10/3/12.
...Didn't ever have the guts to do a 180° spin on the kneeboard (and then another 180° back around)
...Didn't ever get caught up on the photo albums.
...Ditto for transferring videos to DVDs.
...Didn't make homemade cookies more often...and let the Things eat all the batter
...Didn't ever go skinny-dipping in the lake after dark
...Didn't clean the bathrooms more often - hahahaha just kidding - and wanted to see if you were paying attention.
...Didn't ever own a guinea pig
...Didn't spend more time outdoors
...Wasted too much time on the computer

I suppose, then, because we really don't know when we will no longer have the luxury of making changes in our lives and changing our choices any longer {I keep knocking wood as I'm writing this....I'm not sure why...but it's making me feel a lot less like I'm jinxing myself with this post} that a 'biggest regret' list could - and should - be turned around into a bucket list with items much more attainable than 'vacation at one of the resorts featured on The Bachelor' or 'visit George Clooney in his Lake Como Villa' (but I wouldn't know anyone who has those items on her actual bucket list).
So because I'm more of a 'glass half full' kind of a person anyway, let me restate the above -

I will...
...Take more naps. Done.
...Order the cheesecake.  Especially when it's pumpkin.
...Do the 180° spin on the kneeboard next summer.  Worse thing that can happen is you'll get a nose-full of water and a serious wedgie.  But you'll probably live.  And if not, well, at least you tried it.
...Work on the photo albums.  Open a bottle of wine.  It will help make it more fun.
...Take all home videos to shop to be put on DVDs.  Withdraw some of girls' college fund to do so.
...Make homemade cookies for the Things.  Save some of the batter for them.
...Go skinny-dipping in the dark next summer.  Make sure to wait until August after the swarms of mosquitoes are gone.  That could be an ugly, ugly mistake.
...Get a guinea pig.  Actually, that's a horrible idea.  Do not get a guinea pig.
...Go outside more often.  Unless it is below 40°, which in Minnesota pretty much rules out mid October - March.
- Step away from the computer.  Now. (Or just as soon as you finish this post and check emails/facebook/twitter).

Honestly, I don't have time for regrets.  Perspective is much more important to me.

My favorite quote...and something I say to myself at least once a day.

Life is short, kids. 

Eat the cheesecake.