Doc Searls Weblog

Somebody just gave the 31st upvote to my answer to the Quora question “What do you regret as you get older?” So I thought it might be worth repeating.

Here’s a short list:

1. Not learning at least one other language.
2. Not learning a musical instrument (or to sing) well enough to play in a group.
3. Not getting fit physically and staying that way. (Related: not working hard to succeed in at least one varsity sport—especially one requiring teamwork.)
4. Not spending more time in other countries and cultures when I was young.
5. Getting married too early and often. (Since you’re asking, twice before a great marriage now going on 27 years.)

For a full perspective on those, here’s a list of things I don’t regret:

1. Staying curious about everything, all my life. (“Learn as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die tomorrow,” Gandhi is said to have said.)
2. Learning to ski (in my 40s) and at learning to play soccer and basketball well enough not to be chosen last in pickup games.
3. Sucking in school, which forced me to learn in other ways—and to learn well enough to at least play a decent academic later in life.
4. Never taking up smoking, drugs or drinking heavily.
5. Watching so little TV that I miss most cultural references to various stars and shows.

There are many more possibilities for both lists, but that’s a start.

That was seven years ago. My wife and I have now been married for almost 34 years.