Anita Ojeda 
The Piranha of Regret
Regret eats away at the
soul, nibbling tiny
piranha bites from
memories.
Unlike the murky waters of the
Amazon, though, regret lives
solo in the fish tank of our
souls.
Woulda, shoulda, coulda,
form relentless chanting as we
shake our memories over the
tank.
Envisioning different outcomes
if only we had noticed sooner
that our daughters sliced in
pain.
Surely, we could have
orchestrated other outcomes
by better vigilance and deeper
understanding.
A kinder word, a compassionate smile,
anything to signal that we know,
yet judge not, because we, too, fall
short.
Do we feed our memories to
regret, or do we forgive
ourselves and ask for
absolution.
Start anew and form relationships
reborn in honesty and uncloaked by
selfish motives and blind
desires.
Love well.
Forgive often. Search
beneath the surface for pockets of
pain.
Shun regret.
Do You Struggle?
Do you struggle with regret? I wish I could record entire conversations and scenes in my life over again. Things I spoke in ignorance that hurt other people—especially my daughters. If only I knew then what I know now about mental illness, anxiety, and depression.
I pray daily now that the ‘words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart’ be acceptable to God. My words have the power to speak hope—but only if I let the One who represents hope guide them.
Learn to express your emotions and teach your children how to do so as well. Let them know that it’s ok to have feelings and show by example how to express them in a healthy way.
May you have the bravery to face any piranhas in your soul and take back your memories.
Choose words wisely from the quiver of your heart. Tip each arrow with grace and love. #regret Click To Tweet*I realize that the fish in the photo is NOT a piranha…I wouldn’t want to jump in a body of water full of piranhas, so I chose a toothsome fish from my photo files.
Oh friend, yes to all of this. So many conversations I replay in my head and heart too. yes, let’s steak words of hope. I’m in the spot ahead of you this week.
For me, the purpose of replaying conversations these days is to see where I can do better next time. I pray a lot more before I talk–that helps!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Book Talk Tuesdays: The Literary Genre and My Name is Venus Black
regret lives
solo in the fish tank of our
souls.
I liked those lines. Thanks.. makes me think. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Annette!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Book Talk Tuesdays: The Literary Genre and My Name is Venus Black
Anita, what a beautiful post. Yes, regret is like a piranha to our souls, isn’t it? Thank you for the reminder that my words need to be spoken in love. Just tonight, my youngest was being disrespectful (again). I got on him, and he called me on my tone. I need to be careful so that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart can be considered acceptable to my Father. I love that verse by the way.
Beautiful, my friend!
Ugh! It’s so hard when our kids struggle to show respect, isn’t it? There’s hope for the future–mine managed to wade through that stage and now they love me and respect me ;).
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Book Talk Tuesdays: The Literary Genre and My Name is Venus Black
Choose words wisely. I am getting much much better at this. Older age brings great grace.
Old age certainly helps! I used to be very quick-tempered, and I still struggle today. But practice and prayer help a lot!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Book Talk Tuesdays: The Literary Genre and My Name is Venus Black
anita, piranha of the soul! i love the term:) it is so true! great post for sure. i’m at #47 today.
Thanks, Martha!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Regret is the Piranha in My Soul
So descriptive! You are exactly right, regret does eat at you like a piranha.
In your poem, you said forgive often. I think that is key. And by forgiving, may others forgive us.
The big one, though, is forgiving ourselves!
Jerralea recently posted…Regrets and the Devil:
Oh Anita, those piranhas of motherhood! Those “coulda, woulda, and especially shoulda’s“ that swim around our souls! Taking what we’ve learned and using it now in a positive way. I find that being a grandparent is like that second chance, not only with my grandsons but with my daughter as a parent. It’s a way to “start anew”. You’ve written a powerful post and I found meaning in it for myself! Thank you for sharing your experiences! Cindy
Cindy Wilkins recently posted…The Land of Regret ~ Five Minute Friday
Wooooo, a piranha. Ain’t that the truth? We bite ourselves. Satan bites us. But Jesus? He binds those wounds. Praise Him!
Beautiful poem! I think every parent can relate.
Laura recently posted…7 Tips for Finishing the First Draft of a Novel
Beautiful poem! I think every parent can relate to the feeling of regret.
Laura recently posted…7 Tips for Finishing the First Draft of a Novel
Oh Anita! Thank you. I so vividly could see your words in my actions!
“Do we feed our memories to
regret, or do we forgive
ourselves and ask for
absolution.”
Thank you for the perspective.