As you age what would you do differently..

[Infrequent Shooter]

No real regrets at 86, but I do wish I would have taken better care and protection of my ears and hearing in all the years I was shooting and not thinking of hearing protection.

I was lucky re hearing protection. Always had very sensitive hearing/pain issues. doubled up on hearing protection. 7mm mag and a 38 Super a few feet down the line got my attention!

 

[KMart]

As you age what would you do differently..​

Not a lot really. I’ve said for decades that if I got a week in the sun on the porch after I retire, that I’d have met my goal. Been retired nearly a year now. Got my week. Every day since then is icing on the cake.

Hunted more last year than I have in many years. Home cooked meals instead of drive through or restaurants. Not having to deal with shortcomings of jobs and projects. I retired with over 750k Hilton Points; have no desire to go anywhere after having to go everywhere. Hell it’s kind of hard for me to convince myself to drive more than 20 miles anymore. A career spent traveling here, there, and yonder makes one appreciate home.

I will say this though, I never fully appreciated how quickly time passes. If you want or think you want to do something, better do it…

You are so right about the passing of time. Just last week it was Christmas.

 

[GotRDid]

I wish I would have taken more time to be in the Kitchen with my Grandmother and Mother while they cooked for Family gatherings.
They rarely wrote anything down, and, likewise, measuring ingredients was done by the “palm of the hand” or “pinches”.
I can’t fry chicken worth a hoot, and still can’t figure out how to make their gravy.
I did learn how to bake as well as they did.

 

[Todd Earhart]

Easy single largest mistake. Not having my family in church.
Todd

 

[Bob3700]

I was so lucky to know exactly what I wanted to do in life. Airplanes! From the earliest age I was enthralled with aviation. Also, God gave me the “ you can fix things” gene.
Spent 50 years working on everything from Cessna 150s to 747s. The last 20 yrs. I had the pleasure of teaching students what I love to do, work on airplanes. It doesn’t get any better than that. Never had to go to “ Work” a single day in my life!

 

[Dave M.]

At 68, I'd change nothing. I rolled with life's up and downs and came thru with battle scars, but it's those scars that make me who I am. My old high school buddies are almost all dead. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, took most of them. I have my health, I married way outside my pay grade. There are 3 kids, 4 grandkids, 3 German Shepherds, two cats. I retired to warm weather in Arkansas to a beautiful spread totally surrounded by God's gift of nature. Got my Champion bass boat, and a Corvette, everything is paid for.

Life's been berry, berry good to me.

I love when you say you married outside your pay grade. My brother and I refer to that as “outkicking your coverage”. Lol
Dave

 

[Burnt Powder]

My health isn’t conducive to long life, I’m 76 now and probably won’t make it too 100.
What should I have done differently?
Shoot more!

 

[Murray Brook]

Turned 70 on my last birthday. One regret I have would be that I was brought up by my Aunt and Uncle. Loved them both. He passes away in front of me one morning when I was 9 yrs. Heart attack. I regret not being able to talk with him as an adult. He was an American WW1 vet purple heart recipent ( I still have the medal). He was wounded by a sniper from a church tower somewhere in Europe. The only thing he told me when I questioned him on it was he saw the glare of a scope lense and moved to his right and got hit in the arm. I miss him.
I was asked a while back if I would like to be 20 yrs again, and I said no way but I wish like hell that it was 1969 again.

 

[M-61]

I think I’ve said this before. VietNam. And I was not a draftee, I enlisted. I wouldn’t do it again for one million dollars but I would not sell the experience for a million either.
Confusing? You bet.
But if you’re not confused you won’t understand.

 

[KMart]

I think I’ve said this before. VietNam. And I was not a draftee, I enlisted. I wouldn’t do it again for one million dollars but I would not sell the experience for a million either.
Confusing? You bet.
But if you’re not confused you won’t understand.

Not confusing to me

 

[Cecil S.]

I love reading all these posts. We have all had such diverse lives that effect us. Keep em coming.

 

[Jr solocam]

I love reading these as well. One man has a lifetime of experiences that can't be replicated. It has also helped me to focus on my own life. What I can do better. Which is alot. Thank-you to all you guys. I mean that from my heart.

 

[AccelR8]

I should have held onto those Microsoft shares I bought for $3/share back in ‘91

Back in the late 80's I was given the advice, do not throw your money away on Microsoft. Was told, that guy is wasting his investor's money. I asked, why? I was told "Because computers don't work that way."

 

[Knotwild]

Go back in time and choose a career that would make enough money to allow me to afford my hobbies.

 

[AccelR8]

My 2 biggest regrets in life ...marrying my ex wife...it was hell

I had something like a revelation today at work.

Playing on a co-worker's radio was the old Heart song "Crazy On You." You might know the lyrics; "Let me go crazy on you." and "Nothing left to do tonight but go crazy on you."

I had just always thought that phrase had a certain, specific, shall we say "romantic" connotation.

Now having observed a number of individuals from varying distances over the years, the revelation was that the phrase should actually be taken in the most literal sense!

 

[Tesoro]

At 26 I threw my ties and floorsheims in the trash, loaded upi my truck and drove from Oregon to Belize. Came back 24 yrs later and havent had to work since then. Only regret is not blowing so much stupid money - easy come easy go. Could use a bit extra in the next decade but will survive just fine.I can write a book if I get desperate. Moral of the story is I started 'gettin rich' when I was no longer an employee.

 

[Rsadams]

I would have been born rich instead of good lookin'... & would have never started smoking.

If I could go back there is somethings I would change that as one poster said makes me cringe still... BUT the one thing I would also like you would be the never started smoking.... It was the dumbest thing I ever did.... I finally got enough of not being able to breath and stopped a year ago....

Like everyone says you have to be serious about wanting to stop... IT SUCKS , I wear a patch and it helps , eat hard candy etc... After COVID 5 times and that awful respiratory crap that went around that made you sick for about 90 days my lungs are done... After two widow maker heart attacks I am going to do what I want when I want with what time I have left.... The other crazy thing that happened when I stopped smoking was I just didn't want to drink anymore , the money I save now is crazy... $10 a pack and $5 a beer at my local dive bar adds up...

 

[AckleymanII]

I eat a lot more healthy now, protect the liver, feed the gut.

 

[Rsadams]

I will add a little. My wife and I married 63 years ago about 2 weeks out of high school. We had it tough! The baby came very quick, I couldn't afford a battery for my old 55 Chevy and parked on a hill 5 blocks from home in order that I could push start it. I won't go on about the rest, but I now think it was very good for us in the long run.

It's crazy the things we did when we were young and had hardly nothing but we got by.... I look back and think about the tires I used to drive on , bald as hell , no gas money etc.... But we got by.... Now that I am older 56 I have just about everything I want , and that's after replacing everything after a 2011 wildfire that cost me pretty much everything... I look at stuff now and think I better get them tire etc changed and everytime I also think , dang when I was 20 I would have driven everywhere on tires 100 times worse... If I tried it now though I would probably only make it to the end of the driveway before one blew out...lol

 

[ronsatspokane]

I think that having regrets over past decisions implies that the alternative choices one was presented with would have yielded more optimum outcomes. The reality is that one can never know what the results of choosing an alternative path would have been. That path was never chosen. As such, the outcome associated with choosing it is unknowable. Any assumptions about the potential outcomes would be pure conjecture, mental masturbation in effect. The choices you made and the paths you followed have resulted in who you are today. Live with it, learn to love it and allow that body of knowledge to direct your future behavior and all the choices you have yet to make.

Of course there was the time circa late 1980's that my sister tried to talk me into coming to work for Microsoft. I told her that Microsoft was too large of a company for me. I liked these small startups. She retired nearly 30 years ago in her mid 30's. I retired 3 years ago at 63. Would I have led the Life of Riley had I gone to Microsoft? Maybe. Then again maybe Bill and I would have choked each other out and Microsoft would have failed as a result.

Why worry, be happy. Go fishing. Go shooting. Go do whatever it is that adds value to your existence.