Things I Never Did

Several people close to me have said at various times over the years that they don't regret anything they've done, only things they didn't do. I'm more of an equal opportunity regretter, myself - there are plenty of things I've done that I really shouldn't have, even for "educational" value (i.e., "at least now I know...I'll never do that again..."). There are a couple of things I didn't do that really stand out when I think about them, though.

I was watching some making-of feature about Almost Famous years ago, and Cameron Crowe was talking about how he makes a mix tape every month as kind of an audio diary of things going on in his life at that point. He's done this for years, and can go back and listen to songs to be reminded of experiences from that time in his life. I heard that, and I thought, "That's a good idea; I should do that." But I didn't.

Around the same time, I was watching something about George H. W. Bush. He apparently ends every day by spending 15 minutes to write a short letter longhand to someone. Could be a person he met that day, an old friend he hasn't seen in a while, or Barbara. He, too, has done this for decades. I heard that, and I thought, "That's a good idea; I should do that." But I didn't.

I think the former would've been nice to have that time capsule back in time in my own life, and the latter certainly would've helped me keep in touch with people I've lost over the years. Realistically, I don't know that I have the discipline to keep up with either of these, but that wasn't the reason I didn't try. I didn't try because neither was my idea.

That may sound petty (and it may be), but I've always had an aversion to intentionally doing something if it's a direct copy of something someone else is doing, especially atypical things such as these. I don't really know what it is. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a reaction to materialism and our culture of advertising. It bothers me when I go back and glance at the comic books I had as a kid, and the percentage of video games I owned that were advertised in there is staggaringly high. It bothers me when I go to Taco Bell and get a Pepsi with my meal, and there's a large Pepsi staring at me from the menu, and I honestly don't know if I would've gotten a Mountain Dew or water if that image hadn't been there. I don't like the idea of following, and I fear these ideas may have gotten lumped into that part of my brain that viscerally reacts against being manipulated.

I suppose it's not too late to start...