No Regrets

I have never been able to wrap my head around the concept of forever. When people write and talk about death, the prevailing theme is regret. Regret over opportunities lost, experiences had never dominated the conversation. However, only living people experience regret. I believe that experience ends at death. The point is that no matter when you die, you won’t regret anything. It’s a concept we all resist. We are programmed to think that there will always be something next. Religions make their bread and butter selling the idea of an afterlife. It’s comforting to believe that there will be celestial rewards later, even if there is no hope in life. It’s worth paying someone to help assure you get in once you die.

I choose to focus on this side of eternity. I want my experiences now to provide me with as much joy as possible. That doesn’t mean I want to focus only on what the world can do for me. A very large part of my happiness is making my lioness happy. We both get satisfaction out of seeing each other enjoying what we can provide.

That’s where death comes in. On some level, we are always aware that there will be an ending to our story. A time will come when we can’t have one more chance. A couple of years ago, Mrs. Lion and I were able to visit Disney World. We both love that experience. In fact, we were able to go more than once. On the first trip, I had to work during the day. She used every second to visit as much of the property as she could. She was exhausted every night. I asked why she was working so hard. She answered that she might never get a chance to come back.

There is much wisdom in this. If you have the chance to do something rare and wonderful and you don’t experience it to the fullest, you will regret it one day. I learned this lesson when I was 16. My dad was an investment banker. He worked his way up to being second-in-command for bonds at a major investment bank. He always wanted to attend a bankers’ convention. His company never sent him. Finally, when he was 50, he quit his job and joined another firm. A condition of his employment was that he would go to this convention each year.

His first opportunity was that fall. The convention was in Florida. He flew down and settled in his hotel room. He never left it. He died shortly after unpacking his bags. Fate let him get close but denied him his fondest wish. Even then, as a teenager, I saw the irony. He was within a few hours of realizing a dream when he died. Then and there, I decided I would avoid regret at all costs.

As a result of that resolution, I’ve had a rich life full of adventure. I’m sure that I traded the chance to be rich and secure for this. I don’t regret it. I credit this decision by a 16-year-old boy for daring to try BDSM. Certainly, it gave me the courage to ask Mrs. Lion to add domestic discipline and male chastity to our lives.

If you read our blog because what we do is something you wish you could try and you enjoy the vicarious experience, maybe the time has come to make your wish come true. If I can do it, you can too.

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