Embracing Regret
Once, there was a man named Thomas who lived in a small town by the sea. Thomas was older now, with a bit of gray in his hair, and he liked to sit outside in his old chair every evening. Thomas was known for being quiet, but when he did talk, his words were important. What he talked about most was something he wished he had done differently. When Thomas was young, he had a chance to go study in another country because he was very smart. But he was scared to leave his girlfriend, Elaine, who was a kind painter with a lovely smile. Instead of going, he stayed with her, and this choice changed his whole life. As years went by, Thomas saw other people do great things because they went far away to learn, and he started to feel sad about what he missed out on. He wished he had gone to study and also kept his love with Elaine. Thomas thought about how his life could have been better if he hadn't made that mistake. Maybe he would have been happier and brought new ideas to his town. But as