If I had to do it all over ...

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Tue, 10 May 2005 15:58:50 GMT

Originally posted by SwiminONandON How is your wife doing now? I know several people that have had brain tumors but have gone on to a full recovery. I hope she is doing well. She is doing pretty well, thanks for asking. Has some "interesting" cognitive issues, especially with smell and certain analytic skills with numbers, as a result. She will occasionally be struggling to do/say something and just smile and say "I'm having a tumor moment." Her tumor is not of the type that will kill her, thank God. Of course, it only took 9+ years, over $250,000 out of pocket, and losing almost everything we owned twice to get her to this point, but it would have been cheap at twice the price. A "tumor moment": Several years ago, I told her I was going to clean the basement (no small task). She said, "Be sure to throw out all the Christmas lights." I asked her why and she said "Because they smell bad." "What? Do you mean one of the cats peed on them?" "No, they just smell bad." "They are made of glass and plastic, how in heaven can they smell?" "They just smell, please get rid of them." I smelled them, and the didn't smell at all, but I gave them to Goodwill anyway, since it seemed to be so important to her. -LBJ

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Tue, 10 May 2005 15:41:11 GMT

I know a woman whose friend had cancer in his liver, stomach, lungs and brain and now the cancer is gone from the liver, stomach and lungs and there is only a very small tumor in the brain. AMAZING!

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Tue, 10 May 2005 15:04:36 GMT

I met a man yesterday who had brain cancer, He told me he had 35 treatments, he went blind and deaf for over a year. But was has been back to normal for several years, he was out working in his yard. He said that everyone had given up all hope, but he and his wife had not. George

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Tue, 10 May 2005 14:57:19 GMT

How is your wife doing now? I know several people that have had brain tumors but have gone on to a full recovery. I hope she is doing well.

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Swimmy — Tue, 10 May 2005 05:13:41 GMT

I am glad that your wife's tumor is not life threatening. Good luck on her recovery. Think about coming to the walk in DC next year. She might want to meet other survivors.It is a beautiful walk right by the Capitol building. Swimmy :)

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Mon, 09 May 2005 16:02:36 GMT

I agree with what you said in theory Steph. If I had the chance I probably wouldn't actually change anything because I wouldn't be whom I am today or where I am today. I just started this thread for a bit humor and as a chance to dispense some advice, reminisce (sp?), and be silly. I have a great article on this I must include ... I'll have to see if I can find it ...

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Mon, 09 May 2005 12:04:13 GMT

1) I would have ditched my first girlfriend a lot sooner. She was sweet, but we were going nowhere and I just couldn't break it off. 2) I wouldn't have fallen down the stairs and busted up my back. Of course, if I hadn't, I never would have learned how to swim. 3) Microsoft, Oracle and Dell stock. By the boatload. 4) I would have realized much sooner that my wife's behavioral changes were due to a tumor in her head. Also, I would have wheedled, begged and pleaded to have a kid in the first year of our marriage instead of waiting and then finding that the tumor precluded kids. 5) I wouldn't have been achemistry/music double major in college - I should have been a math/music double major. No long afternoons in the lab when I could have been out running/racewalking or X-C skiing. "If the wheel was rigged, I'd still take the chance and if we're walking on thin ice, we might as well dance." -LBJ

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Mon, 09 May 2005 09:08:38 GMT

Originally posted by ande in _____ i wish woulda _____: learned to speak spanish learned to play a guitar and piano ande Spanish is not that difficult, even a person like me (not so bright) can learn it easily. Although that may be because I practice it since I was one y.o.:D Piano instead is not that easy as my younger son is practicing one hour a day and still not sounding much as music, of course he is only five y.o. and has been only three months since he started.:p

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Swimmy — Mon, 09 May 2005 09:03:27 GMT

Sorry to hear about your wife's brain tumor. I have a friend with a tumor. Every year we do a Walk/Run for brain tumor research. You should come down next year.It is a very moving day. www.curebraintumors.org Swimmy :)

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Mon, 09 May 2005 07:55:51 GMT

Originally posted by ande learned to play a guitar .... ande This one isn't too out of reach, but you do have to have some time on your hands or else it's easy to put down. Buy yourself a $100 acoustic and a digital string tuner ($25 or so). Once you know the chords of G, A, C, D, E and slight variations of those (Em, Am, etc), you can play 80% of all music out there. I still can't shape an F or B worth a darn though. :( It took me about a month to learn the basic chords and be able to shift between them. The guitar is very rewarding to learn. An electric guitar is even easier, especially if you're playing rock with a lot of reverb. A lot of chords can be played with only two strings!

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Mon, 09 May 2005 07:30:17 GMT

Been wanting to post this ... If I Had It To Do Over Again. A letter from an 83 year old dying man I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I would be crazier than I've been on this trip. I know very few things 1 would take seriously anymore. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would scale more mountains. I would swim more rivers and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. You see, I was one of those people who lived prophylactically, sensibly, and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I would have many more of them. In fact, I would try not to have anything else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day. I have been one of those people who never went anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, a parachute. If I had it to do over again, I would travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and I would stay that way later in the fall. I would ride more merry-go-rounds, catch more fish, pick more flowers and dance more often if I had it to do all over again.

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Sun, 08 May 2005 16:38:55 GMT

I would have told my Mom and Dad I loved them one more time....

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Sun, 08 May 2005 15:03:08 GMT

I wouldn't have changed anything. Yup. Nothing. My grandfather told me once that life isn't about getting the best place in line for Heaven, nor is it about winning. He told me you have to focus on the race, and not look back on what you might have done "if". Everything in your life happens for a reason. The bad stuff, that so many of us wish we could have the chance to change, is actually things we learned from, and were better as a result of. The hard stuff, that we wish hadn't happened, and isn't fair, are all things that led us to right where we are today. Changing any of that might set off a doppler effect, eventually changing the whole course of our lives. 50-50 chance it would be better or worse. So I think I'll take everything that happens in my life with a side order of lesson attached. The good things, I'll enjoy, and the bad things, I'll learn from, and hopefully not do again. :rolleyes: That would be good.

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Sun, 08 May 2005 14:32:20 GMT

Originally posted by ande i wish woulda _____: learned to speak spanish learned to play a guitar and piano there's many more ande Ande, Why can't you still learn to: speak Spanish, and play the piano and guitar? It's never too late to pick up something new. :)

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Sun, 08 May 2005 12:54:24 GMT

I would've used more brains and less guts when I seriously hurt my lower back early last year doing heavy deadlifts due to bad form. It was the most dreadful feeling after the last deadlift set when I thought I wouldn't be able to walk. I could not sit, stand, walk for longer than 10 minutes and lying down was the only comfortable position. I had 6 weeks of back rehabilitation. I couldn't do ANY exercise and so my rehab doc later recommended swimming and that's how I got into it. My back is all well now - but I continue to swim - more regularly in fact, so I guess I fell in love with it. I guess I agree with Stephanie about things happening for a reason.

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Sat, 07 May 2005 16:48:22 GMT

If I had to do it all over. I would like almost everything the same. Like in the movie.... Play it again Sam. The only thing I would like is to have me start over again at a younger age and do it again. George

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Sat, 07 May 2005 14:42:55 GMT

I would not have quit swimming in my junior year of college, after a great summer working out at the Dad's Club in Houston (with Robbie Orr as coach). But I was premed and taking a heavy load that semester, including organic chemistry. Perhaps I should have been an English major, or maybe marine biology (except for the fact that I get seasick).

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

tjrpatt — Sat, 07 May 2005 11:11:49 GMT

Would not have wasted so many Saturday mornings during high school with my clubs three hours practices that started at 7am and always leave early during my summer long course training. If I did it, I would have swam just as fast or faster because I would be well rested. Would have went to my high school Athletic Director when I didn't get to be captain of my high school team and I was the only senior on the team. Plus, there was no real vote for it since I wasn't at the high practice since it was once a week and it was insane to get to this pool. I would tell myself not to take alot of the crap that I took from the world around me.

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

ande — Sat, 07 May 2005 02:45:51 GMT

in _____ i wish woulda _____: 1980 learned to dolphin kick in streamline position and gotten awesome at it 1981 had another year to train and improve before I went to college 1982 never hurt my back in the summer of 1982 1984 made and competed in olympic trials (I made cuts in july 1984, like a month after trials was over) 1985 got to compete in NCAA's (i made cuts but didn't get to swim in the meet) 1986 owned microsoft stock (and never sold) 1990 owed dell stock and never sold early 1990s owned every .com name I could think of a friend of mine owned house.com till recently I know someone else who owned flowers.com learned to speak spanish learned to play a guitar and piano there's many more ande

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Fri, 06 May 2005 14:24:56 GMT

Don't get married so young. (Divorced shortly thereafter - now remarried to really wonderful woman.)

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Fri, 06 May 2005 13:07:58 GMT

I'd just get myself drunk and I'd jump right back in . . . from "Landfall" by Jimmy Buffett

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Fri, 06 May 2005 09:44:02 GMT

I would have not stopped swimming when I did. I would have kept going. I could be so much farther along then I am now. And I think I would have gone to the back of the line at the Swim with the Stars, so that I wouldn't have people behind me and I could have spent more time picking their brains. (*sigh* and talking to Michael) :D

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Fri, 06 May 2005 08:45:13 GMT

I would have listened to my parole officer and not skipped town ... jail is a rough place ... kidding ... I would have explained to my coaches that I really was in pain with my back before I broke and destroyed it instead of taking so much advil and aleve it's amazing I didn't have liver failure and "sucking it up"

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

Former Member — Fri, 06 May 2005 08:38:20 GMT

I would have never taken up serious running in college. That was the beginning of the end for my knees.

RE: If I had to do it all over ...

tjrpatt — Fri, 06 May 2005 08:26:20 GMT

If I could tell my younger self something, it would be to leave my former Age group club at my junior year of high school because your age group will ruin your swimming. Also, concentrate on the fly and IM events and don't swim the frees at taper meets. Finally, tell my younger self to not lift until you go to college and at college, don't lift more repts and less weight. Also, don't do high school swimming because your best events(200 fly and 400 IM) aren't high school events. I could go on all day with this thread but I won't. Really good topic.