A Story of Picking Another Word for Regret To Move Past Sorrow To Service

(Editor's note about the author: T.O. Illustratio is a free lance writer and observer of the interaction of personalities in everyday life. The author seeks to inspire readers to look within themselves to see how much good they can do in this world when a definitive purpose in life is clear.)

It was an all too familiar traveling companion for him now. Every new dawn it arrived with the sun. It stayed along for the daily duties and desolate down times. There were interchangeable terms all carrying the same emotions. It didn't much matter as another word for regret carried with it, identical baggage. Or so he thought?

Fate, Karma, Divine Intervention, and the example from his granddaughter would bring him a new understanding. Not complete relief, but a glimmer of possibility. Remorse and repentance are other words for regret. The latter is not possible without the former.

The Shining Light

His granddaughter was the light of his life. She reminded him so much of her own mother. He was so proud of the confident, yet humble young woman she had become. Her own mother was like that.

Not far from the surface of that beaming pride was another word for regret. Or rather, two, as one brought on the other. Self-condemnation crept into his psyche as he bemoaned his own personal failure in raising his granddaughter's mother. She too became a strong, confident, yet humble woman. But he wasn't around much to see it.

There was work that became far more important. There were constant metaphorical fires to extinguish. So many hours were set aside in worry about things that might never happen. And indeed, most of that worry was wasted time. Time on the relentless clock of life that keeps ticking, in good times and bad.

His wife deserved all the credit for raising their daughter and inspiring their beloved granddaughter. Three generations of women committed to bringing joy and hope to people looking for both.

He spent years content with hearing about it later, never joining in. And then in what seemed like a moment when considered within the context of a life, his wife would be taken away.

Everyone said the right things at the end. "She's in a better place. You wouldn't want her to suffer." Yes, both statements were true. He watched the devastating disease ravage his wife of her vibrant health. But it didn't help with the loneliness, nor with the regret. Another word for regret is grief. Still more are sorrow and sadness.

He had wasted the time and now she was gone. He had missed being an integral part of his own daughter's development from an inquisitive kid into a forceful leader.

But fate, Karma, Divine Intervention and the omnipresent example of his granddaughter would be planning something new for his future. He would learn another word for regret, but this one carried with it courage and conviction. As long as there's a heartbeat, anything is possible. Even for those like him who had fallen into the morass of regret that is wallowing in self pity.

Another Word for Regret That Reinvigorates

One of his amazing granddaughter's favorite projects involved weekly visits to an adult care facility. She is a champion for all life and her enthusiasm is infectious. Since his wife's death his granddaughter had convinced, cajoled, and even kindly connived him into tagging along on these weekly adventures.

She was so much like her mother and grandmother. Soft-spoken, but bold, always smiling, never showing any sign of distress. She was also relentless in her mission to duplicate her efforts in order to reach more people. Her own grandfather would be her toughest assignment. But she believed that doing the next right thing is the best thing.

So he went, present only in body at first, but after seeing himself and his own albatross of regret etched in the faces of the residents, he recognized another word for regret. Contrition was that word and it brought him out of his funk.

So many of their stories were also his stories. They had all heard the same advice for years. "You regret the things you didn't do at the end of life." While he wasn't in the twilight of his time on earth, he was closer to the end than the beginning.

Like the residents, he had lived within the traps of fear and doubt. Another word for regret is bitterness. Some others are reservation, pangs of conscience, disappointment, and hesitation. All are disempowering synonyms and he experienced every one.

But his granddaughter led him to three more impactful synonyms. Remorse, repentance, and contrition. He had lived as a prisoner to the negative. His choice to follow the strength of his granddaughter took him to the warm glow of sharing his experience and inviting those listening to a better destination. He was duplicating the passion and joy of his wiser-than-her-years, granddaughter.

He can never get back the lost years, the missed opportunities and that was regrettable. But lessons come from various places. Youthful enthusiasm for sure. And painful regret that motivates momentum to repentance and contrition.

There are many other words for regret. The beauty is in the interpretation and the motivation. He regrets what he missed but he is exhilarated with what he will be bringing to the table with the time he has left.

No regrets going forward.

Written by T.O. Illustratio

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