They say everybody does things they regret.
That statement has never rang truer than it does now, now as I’m flying on the plane home from Miami, wondering what might have been. Sure, going to the orange bowl was the sensible thing to do, but there are certain opportunities that only come knocking once in a lifetime and I just let one walk away without even answering the door.
I spent most of the game eagerly checking my cell phone to see if any of my friends who had stayed would happen to text and give me updates on what was going on back at school: Maybe the bookstore was crowded, maybe they were serving tamales at Stern…anything. Anything tangible that would ‘take me there’.
And I did get a few texts, with most saying that they were in the sky box watching the Orange Bowl, and sarcastically adding how ‘jealous’ they were. I too was watching the Orange Bowl, but as far as the camaraderie and good-spirits that can only come with eating pizza and watching a big football game on TV with your friends…well, I would just have to do without those.
So I tell you now: Learn from my mistakes. If something amazing comes your way that probably won’t come your way again, just do it. Don’t just picture the eager faces of your friends in line at the post office: be there. Don’t just imagine the thrill of wandering around the quad trying to figure out where your PWR II class is: live it.
Don’t do as I ended up doing: cheering till my throat hurt, partying deep into the south Florida night, thinking of opportunities come and gone and memories lost. Life’s just too short.
