My husband is a firm believer in not having regrets. It's not that he doesn't have circumstances in his life that he wish weren't so; it's more like he sees each life experience as a learning experience given from God.
He's the optimist in the family.
He doesn't even regret certain toxic people in his life; he has amazing emotional stamina.
I do not share his sentiment or his stamina. If given the opportunity, I would have erased most of my junior high years, increased the amount of time I spent with my great grandmother and said "yes" when Dan Dykstra asked me out for pizza at college.
I regret that last one immensely.
That being said, I have come up with a short list of relationship pointers for myself in the event that time travel is a viable option and I accidentally set the machine for "pre-adolescent years".
*ahem*
1. Surround yourself with people who want to bring out the best in you.
2. Do not make yourself close friends with people who like to be victims in life.
3. People who like to laugh make great friends.
4. You're a "word" person. Make friends with people who use their words for good.
5. If someone is constantly making small jabs at you, excuse yourself politely from the friendship. Even small jabs mean something bigger is lurking.
6. Be the kind of woman that you want to be now, when you're a mother and especially when you're a grandmother. Practice makes perfect.
7. Stay away from people who try to manipulate spiritually, emotionally or any other way.
8. Make guy friends; they're great.
9. Just because a person looks plain on the outside doesn't mean that they're plain on the inside.
10. A person's eyes say a lot about their heart.
