When regrets start replacing our dreams

While doing a hike on the Appalachian Trail with my sons yesterday, I told them about all the people each year who start on the trail in Georgia in the spring, and hike the entire 2,200 miles to Maine.

I told them when I was a program director for a wilderness program for at-risk kids years ago, I'd often hire young people who had just completed the trail. They'd used the experience to bridge completing college and taking on their first job.

Yesterday, we crossed paths with a dozen or so folks making this trek. Oddly enough, few of them were young. In fact, almost all of them were middle aged and alone.

After reading this quote this morning - "A man is not old until regrets start to take the place of dreams" - I find myself wondering, how many of them were out there avoiding old age.

Maybe I'm wondering it because I know that's been me at times the last several years. A guy who feels regrets starting to add up and dreams slipping away.

As we passed each hiker, I instinctively said good job. It's a habit I've picked up trail racing, where I'm sure each runner is out there competing against themselves or other runners. But you know, each one of those hikers said thank you. They didn't dispute my implication that they were out there taking on a challenge and not simply exploring the world.

Each one of them looked proud - like they were either avoiding or dispatching regrets in their lives.

I was glad I had my 12 and 14 year old sons with me. I'm glad they got to witness people chasing dreams. As they asked questions about what it takes to complete such a hike, I knew dreams were hatching in their minds, and in their hearts.

Admittedly, with some desperation, I encouraged them to chase dreams. All of them.

I suppose that's because I'm older now. I've begun to experience some of the wear and tear that comes with aging. The eyes fade. Bags and wrinkles start taking over the youthfulness of the face. Some days it's harder to remember things that seemed front of mind just yesterday. I ache more. I'm up a dozen times or so in the night using the bathroom. Oh, I've felt the torment of aging.

But there is no greater torment to tag along with aging than regret.

The encouraging part about that is, we are never too old to chase dreams.

We are never too old to line up in Georgia and start hiking.

We are never too old to write that book or run that race.

We are never too old to start a new job or learn a new hobby.

We are never too old to become who we want to become.

But every day, no matter how old we are, we ARE old enough to believe the voices around us, and the voices inside our head, that say we can't do the things we dream of doing.

On that day, regrets start to take the place of dreams. On that day, more than being too old for anything else, we are sadly too old for happiness.

Yesterday was a step in helping my boys avoid old age.

Yesterday was a healthy reminder for me that we're never too old to replace regrets with dreams.

And that may be the key to staying young forever. ​