The beauty of hindsight

Hindsight is an immensely bittersweet feeling. It enables you to wish away an amalgam of possibilities of what you could have done differently, what you could have said and what you should have done.

The phrase "It is better to have loved and to have lost, than to have never have loved," is extremely true. I am adamant that 9 times out of 10, you will only regret the things you didn't do. Saying that, I'm thankful that  I have never and never will set foot in a tattoo parlor, bought drugs or paid for sex.
Much of the time being a student is spent balancing on the tightrope of deciding boundaries, deciding what ought not to be done, and what is acceptable. We all have had that ni

ght, where that thing should never be bought up in front of your parents. All my friends have had them - perhaps enough for an entire blog of these mishaps.

Saying that, my biggest regret of university is not that night, but it's regretting not speaking out soon enough. I regret worrying about the consequences of facing up to people, and worrying what would happen if we had an argument. I am a rash person, and I often say things too quickly without thinking. Now I compensate for that and don't say things enough. After months of living in a house where my friend helped herself to food, toiletries and continuously lied to us about her daily life, we finally plucked up the courage to tell her to leave. My biggest regret is not telling her to go, but wishing I had had the argument months before. A leopard can't change its spots, but I'm still left feeling like I didn't give her a chance.

I have finished the year with good grades and am firmly set up for third year. I didn't go to enough societies, do enough sport, or volunteer enough but I came out pretty well. Nevertheless, the most important thing I have learnt this year is this: Be Brave. Hindsight is bittersweet. Speak up, ask for help, and don't let others tell you what to do. Be protective, but look after yourself. Help others, but learn to say no. Finally, when in doubt... have a McFlurry.