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I asked a friend what he would do different if he had to live his teen years over.  And at first I thought he would reply with the oft repeated though seldom meant answer, “I wouldn’t change a thing.”  But much to my surprise he actually said he would change things.  his answer to this pointless query was that he would apply himself more instead of just skating by.

A weird thing happens to  adults triggered by a combination of regret and an increase in the perception of their own mortality.  They wish that they had taken advantage of the opportunities that were so ample in their youth.  I imagine a lot of people think that if they were to relive their youth there are mistakes that they wouldn’t have made.  They imagine they might have been better athletes, taken better care of their bodies, taken their academics more seriously or what not.  From the perspective of an adult who did none of those things, the opportunity to be able to have the chance to remedy that must be like a mystical cure-all for what ails them in their current life.  But I also imagine that if you are the type to be discontent in your life and wish you could change something, then no matter how you lived (or re-lived) your life you would still feel discontent.

So, what would I change?
Pfft.  Everything, of course.