Regrets

Everybody, I'm sure, has regrets in life.

My sister-in-law and nephew recently climbed to the summit of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, at 19,341 feet the highest point in Africa. I regret that I will never get to do that.

Kilimanjaro

I'm simply too old. Although I exercise regularly, and I live at about 5,300 feet elevation, my muscles just don't have the strength they once had. 

The same goes for visiting Machu Picchu and Cinque Terre. And I don't see myself trekking through the jungles of Uganda in search of a family of gorillas, either. The strength just isn't there for a lot of climbing. I regret waiting so long to plan to go on these adventures.

I've done other things that require a decent amount of physical strength and endurance. I ran the San Francisco Marathon (26.2 miles) in 1984, finishing in a respectable time. I walked 60 miles over three days to raise money for breast cancer research. I did a 10-mile hike in Joshua Tree National Park two years ago. I have ridden 60 miles on my bicycle on a single day, a few times. I ran 3 miles or more six or seven days a week for more than 30 years. So I have never been a couch potato.

But climbing Mount Kilimanjaro? Not likely. I love visiting Africa (I've been there 10 times so far), and climbing this mountain would be wonderful. In addition to the physical challenges, my vision isn't what it used to be. So I will have to admire the mountain from afar. I was lucky to be able to see and photograph the mountain on a rare day when it wasn't enveloped in clouds. That will have to suffice.

I got to visit Egypt this year, and I'm going to Greece next year, so I am working through my list of places I have always wanted to visit. Italy, Iceland and Australia remain on the list. I try to visit one or two places from my wish list each year. 

I have other regrets, too, of course, but those are not for public discussion. No life is perfect. We all make mistakes. We all wish we could go back in time and do things differently. All I can do is try to live my life so when it ends, there are as few regrets as possible. I'm not going to give up having adventures, but it's important to know my limitations.

We don't know how much time we have left, so get out there and live your life so when it is over, you have as few regrets as possible.