When I was in High school many years ago I tried out for the baseball team in my freshman, sophmore, and junior years. My parents paid out money they really couldn’t spare for a pair of cleats. I went to every practice, and tried my best, but my obvious lack of talent, and athlectic ability in general, led to my being the first one called into the coaches office and told that my presence was no longer neccessary.
Academically it was the same. I did graduate of course; but with a G.P.A. of around 2.5. The guidence counselor didn’t mince any words: forget about college. I didn’t have the grades to be accepted anywhere I was just mediocre.
Which was all for the best. With no sport or academic scholorship possible, my parents couldn’t have afforded it anyway.
So I joined the Coast Guard and had the time of my life. Afterwords I was able to go to college and got an associates in a STEM field. And for the next fifty years I ‘earned’ a paycheck, paid taxes, had a very succesful marrage, and we raised two kids who are now doing very well, thank you.
Could I have done better with my life? Hindsight is 20/20 they always say: but the past can’t be changed. You’ll always have those cud’da, shud’da, wud’da feelings. “If I’d only done this instead of that”. My life would have been different but not neccessarly better. There is no point dwelling on it.
I do know my life could have turned out a lot worse.
So this is…but one example of…
