I was standing in line at the grocery store recently, and I started a conversation with the older gentlemen in front of me. He was looking dapper, and I wanted to make sure that I let him know his fashion sense was on point. We began talking more and eventually landed on the topic of how I ended up living in Indianapolis. I touched on the fact that I spent some time traveling overseas, and while still interested, his eyes fell a little bit as I spoke of my trip. I wasn’t going to address his change in demeanor, but he volunteered an explanation by saying, “Man, I wish I had traveled more when I was your age. I had the opportunity, but I never did take the leap and pursue it.”

“I Wish I had….”

There’s usually some form of regret, melancholy, or frustration tucked into every utterance. I’ve found myself thinking of the phrase ever since that grocery store encounter. There’s such a finality to it. It’s usually uttered in an way that the assumption is there’s no possibility to change the outcome.

What if it didn’t have to be so fatalistic?

This thought inspired me to think about myself in the future: maybe five, ten, thirty years from now. What if I’m in a conversation in the grocery store line as an old man? Based on how i’m currently living my life, what things would I say “I wish I had..” about?

I wrote down a list of what I perceived to be my future answers, and I tried to think of ways to act on them now. One line read, “I wish I had written more poetry/stories/blogs/etc.”

The exercise spurred by my conversation in the grocery store line provided the wake-up call that I needed to start my blog.

I’ll be writing about life, relationships, faith, minimalism, personal finance, and anything else that tickles my fancy. My desire is to add value to your life, and to do something that I know will turn a future personal “I wish I had..” into an “I’m glad I did.” I hope you’ll enjoy!

In the meantime, what are some of your “I wish I had..” stories? Are there any that you could take action on today? I’d love to hear from you! Let me know in the comments.