Originally Posted by
Gilmer 
It has never dawned on me to laugh at my excruciatingly painful regrets. I laugh at everything, but I don't know if I cam gen up enough imagination for that. I just have to keep chanting the mantra "These things have formed me into the person I am today."
I think this applies differently at different stages of psycho-social development. I'm at that stage where I'm transitioning from middle age into feeling suddenly frail, which brings on a lot of reflections about major life choices. The mistakes I made in my youth are easy to forgive, except the ones that had lasting consequences. Education and career path has become a tough one for me. Combining sports and intoxicants have also taken its toll on my body. "These things have formed me into the person I am today." I like that thought when I'm feeling okay, but when I'm a mess it doesn't help so much. Keeping a sense of humor doesn't always come easy.
What I liked about the talk was that it gave me permission to be mindful of the regrets, to feel them, and to accept them rather than fight them off. "No regrets" really isn't a good motto to hammer into people. Regret and then move on...