Mistakes

Gala, over at Icing, has a post today offering advice to a young woman who wants to prevent her friend from making a mistake. I left a comment saying that I think that mistakes are a necessary part of life. We need to make mistakes in order to grow, to evolve, to become. After leaving the comment though, I’ve continued to think about the mistakes that I’ve made, and I’ve come to the conclusion that they weren’t mistakes at all. Sometimes they felt like a mistake at the time, but looking back now, with the clarity only ever achieved with hindsight, they were all contributing factors to who I am today. In the words of La Mome, “Non, je ne regrette rien”.

Je Ne Regrette Rien Lyrics – English translation provided by Two-Hand Job
No, nothing.
No, I regret nothing.
Neither the good done to me, nor the bad;
to me, they’re all the same.

No, nothing at all.
No, I regret nothing.
It’s all paid for, swept away, forgotten;
I don’t care about the past.

With my memories,
I’ve lit a fire.
My sorrows, my pleasures,
I need them no more.

Swept away are my loves
and all their tremors.
Swept away forever.
I start from scratch.

No, nothing really.
No, I have no regrets.
Neither the good done to me, nor the bad;
to me, they’re all the same.

No, nothing.
No, I regret nothing.
Because my life, because my joys,
today, begin with you.