The idea of regret is bound to come up in one’s life at some point. It may pop up as we age, when one is faced with a medical condition or at a girl’s slumber party. I gave the notion some thought and have identified what I believe my biggest regret is. Like me, it’s complicated.
When in high school, there was a girl who sat by herself everyday at lunch. However, you shouldn’t think that I am that shallow. I recognize that this observation is not enough to lead me to any conclusions. I eat lunch by myself all of the time, either because all of my friends are in class or because I would just prefer to be alone that day.
What brings me to the conclusion that this girl did not have any friends was the fact that I had seen her several times around my high school’s neighborhood alone on Friday nights. No one was in class. It’s possible that her friends were at work. Yet whenever I saw her outside of school, she was inevitably alone.
I did not know this person at all. Physically, she was not the epitome of what a Westernized female should look like. She did not have nice clothes. In fact, her dress seemed to be modeled after an older female relative such as a mother or even a grandmother.
Thus far, my biggest regret is that whenever I saw this girl alone on a Friday or whenever else, I never sat with her. I always thought about it. Sometimes I concluded that she may appreciate anyone to talk to. She always looked lonely.
Furthermore, I began to ask myself why I never sat with her. Maybe I am more molded and effected by the media’s, society’s or the television’s ideas than I’d like to believe. I would like to say that her appearance meant nothing, that the fact that she had no other visible friends didn’t bother me, and that her loneliness would have been enough for me to go over there and try to find a good person. However, it seems that I can’t.
I never did anything about it. I never sat with her nor did I ever introduce myself. My actions did not correlate with what I thought was the right thing to do. It seems to be easier to think something than to actually do it.
