I might come off like a jag off this morning, but I am taking a tough love stance towards someone that I love dearly. If today's Chalkboard can heal one regret, fanfuckingtastic!
I have known my cousin since we were toddlers. Our dads, my Oldman and Uncle Charlie... were thick as thieves, running side by side through life.
My cousin got me my first job on the trading floor. That wasn’t just a paycheck, that was a door opening to a career that has lasted nearly forty years. I owe him for that. I’ll never forget it.
BUTT gratitude doesn’t erase truth.
My cousin, the birthday boy has walked away from his only sibling. Ghosted her. Ghosted her family. Ghosted memories that should be shared. Once, they were tight... laughter loud, history deep, stitched together by the love of family. But years have slipped away, and silence has settled in.
I have seen this movie before. Back in the late ’80s, my Oldman and Uncle Charlie had a blow-up. Six, maybe nine months, they didn’t speak. Later, my dad told me it was one of the saddest stretches of his life. When Uncle Charlie died in 1992, the regret crushed him even more. You don’t get back the time you throw away. You don’t get a do-over.
That’s why today’s chalkboard carries this quote:
"I am never afraid to start again. Restart is always better than regret.”
Cousin, give yourself the best birthday present you can, heal this wound. Pull your head out of your stubborn ass, make the call, and fix this while you still can. Do it for your sister. Do it for the family. Do it for yourself.
And to the rest of you Chalkheads, if this hits close to home:
Every year you don’t make the call, the clock gets louder. Someday it will stop. Don’t wait for the funeral to wish you’d picked up the phone. Life’s too damn short to let pride run the show. Swallow it, make the call, fix the wound. Be the one who ties the knot, not the one who leaves it frayed.
Because regret?
Regret is the heaviest thing you’ll ever carry.
