life isnt a rehearsal

I try not to look back, can't do anything about it so just try to look to the future. So many things which could have been better or worse but they are gone.

Yes, indeed. One day back in 1999 I looked at my body in the mirror and realised that something was not quite right. I looked pregnant despite being 50. Went straight to the doctor and by the end of that day I'd been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

I was one of the fortunate 20% of ovarian cancer victims who survived the experience. I've never taken life for granted since then. I'm grateful for every day.

Whoops I can look back and see all my mistakes. There’s nothing I can do about them now except live with them. I Recently told my teenage grandsons that the mistakes you make now will shape and last a life time. Unfortunately he’s just found that out for himself. Good job there’s often different paths that give second chances.

I don't think there will many, if any people who haven't made serious mistakes in the past. They're part of life.
There was a saying something like
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ..." and learn from mistakes.
I can't count the number of mistakes/badly judged decisions that I've made.
There's another view that all souls are reborn to correct the mistakes and faults in the previous life.

Oh Yes travelsfar the challenge for me is to stop brooding on it.

I never worry about my previous mistakes during the day.

However, when I cannot sleep, which is a fairly regular occurrence, I seem to involuntary brood, go over every single event in my life, and I have made many mistakes!!!

* Fennel - There's another view that all souls are reborn to correct the mistakes and faults in the previous life*

I've heard that view too it's widely believed.

It's made me wonder;
Can we, or have any of you, started afresh and felt truly reborn into a new, wiser, life?
Can we be happier more free of past regret in this life we have now? Or would we have to walk away from our lives to start afresh? -- where no one knows what we did--

Yet, of course, we would know.

My mistakes have been agonized over for so long that in recent years I've worn out my worry stock. I'm too tired of it to brood nowadays.
It's all become a big bad fog in my head that I'm aware of but know its been done to death.

Teetime me too,especially if i can't sleep, all those mistakes play round and round in my head and make sleep even more elusive!!!

If we come back to make amends for a previous life ?

Surely we'd be on an endless loop of returning and making more mistakes, needing us to return forever.

I spent so much of my earlier life in despair, being frightened/terrified, exhausted, lonely and unhappy. All whilst holding down a post of some responsibility and raising children, and wearing the 'I am OK' mask to the outside world..Some of those tribulations were as a result of a bad marriage. We all make decisions which change our lives and have to live with the consequences of them.

Now that life is a bit easier for me (isn't retirement wonderful?) I try not to brood on the past. I was lucky to have the good bits and I am thankful I am strong enough to have endured the bad bits.

I sat out in the sunshine this afternoon and felt blissfully lucky. I sent up a few silent words of thanks, out into the ether. We do have to live for the day, and it is a cliche, count our blessings too.

That theory is based on the idea that in the beginning God created only a limited number of souls.
I think? Not saying I agree with it.

I certaintly don’t agree with it, i don’t believe in a God of vengeance

Not vengeful Annie - He loves His creatures and wants us to perfect ourselves. So gives us infinite chances to put things right.
If only!

Fennel, it makes me wonder what harm I did in a previous life !

We cannot change the past, but we can learn from it.

travelsafar, I understand your OP, and can indeed identify and pin point moments (especially the light bulb one that made me decide to leave my first husband), and you are right when you say "so if you get it wrong first time you can not correct it."

But as I said, you can learn from it.

I also believe that you should not (to use the vernacular) beat yourself up over it, whatever "it" may be, as, returning to your first point, you cannot change it.

Forgive yourself, forgive others, move on, and try to have a positive and good heart.

I remember my life changed going home from work on a bus in the mid 1960s. I knew exactly what I needed to do and made a decision on my life on that bus ride.

Life goes on but I believe that everyone can still correct their mistakes if wanted.

I was talking to a friend today who was grieving for his sister who had died at what I now think of as an early age - i.e. younger than me.

Life's not fair. We just have to do our best and count our blessings and make the most of the time we have.