Edith Piaf was unrepentant when she sang Je Ne Regrette Rien. If only we could all be so content with our choices in life. Do our city governments regret tearing down beautiful old art-deco and Italianate buildings to be replaced with faceless, mirrored glass towers that are totally devoid of character? Does Putin regret invading Ukraine? Are there any MAGA supporters out there who regret their choice?

Did Linda Evangelista regret cutting her hair all those years ago or regret getting disfiguring injections to look younger as she aged? What would Alexander Graham Bell think today of how his invention has evolved into the internet and social media? Do any of us regret having children—or not having children?

Sarah Winchester, daughter-in-law of the inventor of repeat-shot Winchester rifles was so overcome with fear stemming from the consequences of her deadly inheritance that she spent her entire adult life rebuilding and renovating her home in San Jose, California, in a vain effort to expunge the ghosts of the victims of her family’s fortune. Would she have done the same thing if she’d married an accountant or a teacher? Who knows?

Who among us does not have regrets? Boomers are the product of our experiences, good and bad. I think we can safely say that most of us are reasonably content with our choices in life. After all, those choices brought us to where we are today. Bad choices are character-building and allow us to grow and broaden our perspective. Good choices enrich us all. We become more understanding and hopefully forgiving when we witness someone making the same mistakes we did. Parents who allow their children to fail at something are strengthening them for the difficulties and unfairness life will later throw at them.

I don’t have many regrets. Perhaps I should have gone to university but it was not de rigueur in the mid-sixties when we graduated high school the way it is now. Furthermore, our parents couldn’t afford to bankroll us, and in many cases, were not in a position to even help us. I sometimes wish I’d been more assertive in business, but I accomplished quite a lot despite the lack of a degree and aggressive attitude. I do regret overplucking my eyebrows in the seventies though, and the extra pounds I gained with menopause are regrettable but unavoidable. Not my fault.

Sometimes I regret not being a mother, but my first husband did not want children, and by the time he decided he didn’t want me it was too late. I would have liked to have had a daughter but since I did not, my life was certainly less complicated. I substituted with a series of little dogs and hope to continue to enjoy them as long as I can.

More important than reflecting on our regrets is our ability to enjoy and appreciate what we’ve done right. I do not regret my first marriage as it better prepared me for my second marriage. I’m happy with the mistakes I did make because they were character-building and instead of causing me to continue on a disastrous course, I corrected and changed my direction. I never abused alcohol or drugs which could have been ruinous. I was always striving to be better and to be kind to others even when they didn’t deserve it.

I am thankful for building a strong network of friends over the years. These people have seen me through so many difficulties and celebrations and I hope I have returned their gift in kind. I’m glad I dropped Latin at Christmas in Grade 11 and took typing for the remainder of the school year. That’s probably the most important thing I learned in high school. Otherwise, I would have never been able to get a job as a secretary with Ma Bell in 1965, launching a lifetime of steady employment that allowed for growth and enrichment.

By the time we reach our seventies, boomers can look back at our lives with amazement, fascination, gratitude, and an abundance of wonderful memories. We were a unique (I know writers are supposed to avoid that over-used word) generation and have lived through exceptional times. Our music, our fashion, our values, our work ethic, our creations and inventions, our legacy are unparalleled in history. We have made our share of mistakes and missteps, but overall we have lived our best lives and je ne regrette rien. What about you?