Comments | furzicle: LJI Prompt: Regrets. To Do, or Not to Do, That is the Question

furzicle

LJI Prompt: Regrets. To Do, or Not to Do, That is the Question

Oct 15, 2022 14:51

To Do, or Not to Do, That is the QuestionThey say when a dying person realizes their existence is slipping inexorably away, they often express their Life’s profound regrets. Cheerfully we are told that they never say they wished they had spent more time in the office, but rather that they wished they had attended more of their beloved children’s ( Read more... )

lj idol

Comments 19

emo_snal October 15 2022, 23:23:33 UTC

Such sauce!

furzicle October 16 2022, 01:11:37 UTC

I knew you'd say that!

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banana_galaxy October 16 2022, 03:32:12 UTC

I have the same issue with my decluttering and chores. It's an eternal problem! Every time I do manage to catch up, suddenly there's more to do again. And I'd rather be doing other things. My poor kids, I don't know how they'll manage when I pass away and they have to sort through everything.

furzicle October 16 2022, 19:21:26 UTC

My husband and I just finished closing up my father's home after his death in 2022. 2020(!)He was 93. He and my mother had been married for 55 years when she died in 2007. After that, he remarried and when wife #2 died, he had another relationship (with a pretty much loco woman.) First we had to remove woman #3 from the house and then go through ALL the stuff. Though we haven't parted with nearly enough of it, we look very skeptically at everything. My husband collected all the heirloom paperwork (albums, etc, etc) and I couldn't part with my parents' oak dining table. Our house has become even more of an archive. argh!

beautyofgrey October 16 2022, 14:05:06 UTC

LOL, so sorry to hear that Kris dropped the ball.
I do like your theory that it seems that our worries are proportional to our privilege - that line of thinking may well keep some worries in check, at least.
And really - while I like a decluttered house, I have set the time and hours for those efforts. Anything beyond that really must be measured against all the wonderful things I could be doing with my time.

furzicle October 16 2022, 19:41:49 UTC

I now am wondering if leaning into him about that may be something I come to regret. Fortunately, our family is not one that holds grudges. As I reflect on everyone in our family, I guess it is apparent that most of us are like you and me, there comes a time when living life is far more important than living in a museum.

PS, While I've always taken great enjoyment from writing for LJI, doing it justice does come at a cost to available time. I've followed you faithfully all these years. I admire and salute you for your body of work as well as being able to step away when life demands it. Good luck and may the stormy seas calm!

beautyofgrey October 21 2022, 02:59:12 UTC

I think, too, at least for me, it comes down to picking the battles I want to fight. Sometimes, I do not care to fight the laundry.

And thank you, I appreciate it! <3

engarian October 16 2022, 16:56:36 UTC

There's always something that takes away from perfection - LOL. You got socks.

- Erulisse (one L)

furzicle October 16 2022, 19:46:24 UTC

Well, socks and...shoes and other minor details. I think a successful marriage--or any relationship--requires putting up with some small details that annoy you. I have steadfastly refused to become my family's maid so the tradeoff is that I don't pick up after them and then I get to see what they leave behind. Hopefully, the peace is worth it.

PS, the previously deleted comment was mine. I wrote a response to beautyofgrey and it somehow got posted to your comment.

PSS Thanks for continuing to read!

engarian October 16 2022, 22:32:01 UTC

Oh goodness, I couldn't not read! In for a penny, in for a pound, right? It's a lot easier to read through everyone's stories to vote when the numbers are down. I dread a "full" Idol - I had a really hard time reading everyone's when we were in the 60-70 count and I get the feeling it's usually a much greater number than that normally.

- Erulisse (one L)

furzicle October 16 2022, 23:51:28 UTC

Oh, I, too, find the long list of pieces to read daunting! Truth to tell, I generally scan through those early looonnnggg reading lists and am brutal about looking for a "hook" and not reading past the point I think the piece is not catching my interest. Of course, as time goes on, you find authors whose work you enjoy and then you can go straight to those. I am really grateful for this three strikes system because, in the past, some new writers just missed the mark and were eliminated immediately. That felt too harsh. In my ideal world, I would like to see each of us just tally up points. At a certain point (like around now), I wouldn't mind the contest being called done and we could all just say, "Oh, I got 223 points or I got 350 points." Or, perhaps better, "I came in tenth" or "I came in fourteenth". There would still be the drive to submit as many entries as possible (or lose possible points.) Another "improvement" I would recommend would be to make all polls contestant only. This would eliminate the advantage of people who it ( ... )

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