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If you could go back in time to a pivotal point in your young life and give yourself one word/sentence of advice, and know that you would accept the advice, what would it be?

Like most people, there are a number of moments that, if I could, I would go back and relive, applying the knowledge I have today to situations that occurred ten, twenty, thirty or more years ago.

One of those moments would be a chilly winter evening when I was a mere 19 years old.

It took me many years to realize, analyze, and, eventually, appreciate the import of a decision I made that night. Frankly, it did not seem monumental at the time because, like a typical 19-year-old, I lacked the capacity to grasp the seriousness of the moment. I could not have foreseen that so many years later, I would be able to look back and see precisely how my one-word response to a question literally charted the course of my life.

The question, the person who asked it, the circumstances, and the events that unfolded afterward are not germane to the real issue. Yes, I would look back at my naive, inexperienced, 19-year-old self and advise myself to respond differently.

“Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can’t build on it; it’s only for wallowing in.” (Katherine Mansfield)

“Regret” is defined as “a feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different.” Do I regret the decision I made on that night so many years ago? From time to time, when something reminds me of that situation, I do. But it is a brief, fleeting emotion born out of curiosity about how different my life would be today. I don’t wallow in remorse because that would be a futile waste of energy. I don’t believe in looking back too often or for too long because it is not a productive use of a very precious and scarce commodity: My time.

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On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

Genesis 2:2-3

Welcome to the Seventh Day “Blogging’s Best” Carnival.

I extend my thanks to all who are participating this month either by submitting their work or visiting the various sites listed and supporting the bloggers represented in this edition. Don’t forget to leave a comment, letting each of them know how much you appreciate their contribution!

Blogging / Writing

JHS shares A Unique Legal Theory Serves as a Reminder to Blog Responsibly published at Colloquium. Every parent should read this article before allowing his/her children to access the Internet.

Cindy King shares Book Review: Letting Go Of The Words - Writing Web Content That Works By Janice Redish published at Cindy King, a “must-read” according to Cindy, about “planning, selecting, organizing, writing, illustrating, reviewing, and testing content . . . that gives readers a successful and satisfying web experience.”

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“. . . the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people . . . Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”

~ Randy Pausch ~

Over lunch recently, I told a very dear friend, “I feel as though I have emerged from a very long and very dark tunnel. And the light out here is extremely bright. My eyes have to get adjusted to it.”

Not long ago, I told that same friend for about the zillionth time in the past year or so, “I feel like I just keep hitting my head against the same brick wall over and over.”

“Hang in there,” she responded numerous times. “Hold on. You’re going to be fine. You’ll see. You’re going to come out on top. Your future is bright.”

At times, it was very hard to hang in there. That brick wall was extremely sturdy. It took me a long time to break it down. I had to find the one spot where it was structurally vulnerable and then take advantage of that weakness, exploiting it to my advantage by chipping away one brick at a time until it collapsed entirely.

“But as for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7)

Depressed and discouraged, I kept going through the motions, but my heart was “not in it” and I had no enthusiasm for the tasks at hand. For the first time in my life, I understood how people feel when they describe themselves as “adrift.” Some days all I wanted to do was sleep and at other times, sleep simply would not come. I was living in a constant state of exhaustion, dragging myself from one place to another.

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