RPP

An assortment of Kristen Gibb's regrets

- That time when I was 4 and I ran across the road to my friend Monique's house.  I tripped and fell right in the middle, turning my little face and knees into road rash.  My parents had told me not to.

- That time when I was 5 and I let myself get dared into fighting Sheldon, a boy in my neighborhood, at the park.  I punched him, he ran home to his mom, and then she came to the park and grabbed me and yelled at me.

- That time in grade two when I rode my bike to school SO FAST on the windiest day of the year.  Then I had to ride home after.  Straight into the wind.

- That time when I lived in Logan, Utah, during grade three when I was mean to a girl named Boxi because she annoyed me.

- That time in grade four when I played baseball in Mr. Nelson's class room with Richee before school started.  I pitched the ball to Richee and he hit it smack dab into the crop of sunflowers our class had planted in styrofoam cups that were growing in the window.

- That time in grade seven when I threw a basketball at a girl's head.  During a game.  Intentionally.

- That time in grade eight when I thought I had fast enough reflexes to swipe my finger underneath the sewing machine needle before it came back down.  And impaled my finger.

- That time in grade ten when I tried to pass a car on the highway.  And then the car turned left.  And the boy I had a crush on got out of the passenger seat.

- That time in grade twelve when I ignored a hunch on what I should study in university.

- That time living in Edmonton when I let a boy kiss me who had no intentions of dating me.

- That time I wrote a boy on his mission for two years without being more clear that I was interested in dating, not getting engaged as soon as he got home.

- That time I chugged a cup of chocolate from the chocolate fountain at my best friends wedding.

- The last time I ate at the Golden Coral.  And then barfed in a parking lot.  And was surrounded by cop cars.  

- All the times I've been quick to anger, careless with my words, or too competitive, and ended up hurting someone's feelings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh, and I regret that one time I put sponge rollers in my hair.

I have some regrets.  Don't get me wrong though, regrets are alright.  I don't regret that I have regrets.  However, since I'm getting older, I'm trying to be wiser by decreasing the number of regrets I sustain.  Because a lot of regrets are preventable.  

So, starting new this summer, I have decided to launch the RPP, the Regret Prevention Plan.

Because of the RPP, I'm now spending the first summer of my life working somewhere other than the Raymond Pool.  In fact, I'm not even living in Raymond!!

Welcome to my new summer home, Waterton Lakes National Park.

And here's where I now work as a waitress, Zum's Eatery & Mercantile.

I'll admit I probably won't make as much money living and working out here as I would have living at home and working at the pool, but I couldn't be happier with this decision.  Thanks to the RPP, I now make decisions a little bit differently than I used to and am exceedingly happy with the results.

Do you ever imagine yourself 20, 30, or 40 years from now?  Well, when I considered whether or not to work in Waterton, I realized that as a 40 year old Kristen, I would inevitably regret not spending at least one summer working out here.  And my decision was made.  Simple as that.

With the RPP I look ahead to make a decision.  I consider how the Kristen one week, one month, one year, or 20 years older will feel about a choice I'm making now, about the consequences that will follow.  So far I really like how this plan is working for me.  And I'm really excited about the sorts of ideas and plans it's making pop up in my head.

Selling my car?

A semester abroad in Australia?

Event Management Certificate?

Life's too short to waste one minute of it doing something you'll regret.  However, it's also long enough for you to accomplish all the little things you might regret having not done when you're old and grey.  So let the RPP work for you.  

Pahaha, I'm a nerd.