Regret for Hot Air Balloons
Posted by Victoria | Filed under Victoria
When I was doing my undergrad, I spent a year abroad studying in Edinburgh, Scotland. At the beginning of the year, I went to the societies fair, and joined the email list of the Saltire Society — which was devoted to hot air ballooning. I was very excited at the prospect of learning how to do this, for what was an extremely reasonable fee.
I never went. It was always too expensive, or I was too busy (I was trying to study), or I was just too shy to go. I didn’t remove myself from the list, though. For years after I left Scotland, I was on their list, until the regret of never actually doing anything with them grew too pointed and I finally unsubscribed.
I’ve been up in a hot air balloon just once, while visiting some people who had an extra ticket for a festival. I was very nervous, as I’m not all that good with heights — or rather with feeling insecure in heights. I don’t like being at the top of a ladder, but I don’t object to standing behind a tall barrier (chest-high, preferably) at the top of a seven-hundred-foot cliff. The balloon, I thought, would be terrifying, but also exciting.
It wasn’t; it was absolutely wonderful. It felt as secure as sitting on a table, because there’s no gusting — you’re moving at exactly the speed of the wind — and even landing, which was prolonged and bouncy, was exhilirating rather than frightening. I loved it. When I discovered that the University of Edinburgh had a hot-air balloon society, where you could participate for significantly cheaper rates than usual (I think it was about 25 pounds a trip — hardly anything, in retrospect), I was very excited. As I said, I signed up; and then I never went.
I learned so much from my time in Scotland. I was lonely for the first few months, finding it very difficult to make friends, and I did really want to learn from the classes I was taking, so I focussed on studying. But I made so many mistakes out of timidity and false economy and that sort of thing — I was so unwilling to spend money I didn’t do things I would have loved that were out of my comfort zone. I didn’t travel nearly as much as I could have — I never went to the Highlands, for example — and I didn’t join the Saltire Society.
This was such a mistake, one I’ve regretted ever since, and which keeps coming back to me when I think that something is too expensive and so I don’t do them.
Sometimes things are too expensive, even wonderful things, and I have to say no. But often times I end up spending the money anyway but not in a way that would have made me as happy if I’d deliberately chosen this. It’s the same as spending time properly — sometimes I don’t plan something because I think it will take too much time away from something else I need to do, then I end up wasting almost the same amount, but without the reward of doing the thing I wanted.
Not participating in the hot air balloon club was a big mistake, one I’ve regretted for nearly ten years; and I have to admit, a mistake whose lesson I’m still learning from. But I have taken stained-glass courses, I have walked across Spain, I have gone to a concert in Venice when I was almost at the end of my money — all because I didn’t join that club then. And you know what? I bought a painting last year with most of my tax refund because I decided that it was worth working an extra two months to pay off my debt, or to put off a trip to Europe. And every time I look at it I am glad I did so.
What’s your greatest financial regret? Is it for something you spent — or for something you didn’t spend?
Working on finishing up a PhD in Medieval Studies, what Victoria really wants to do is walk around the world and write books. Twenty-nine and single, Victoria lives in Halifax and is trying to balance work and life.
February 17, 2012 at 1:07 pm
A year after I graduated someone approached me about getting involved in selling for a make-up company. They used my dream of going to grad school and made me think I could get there by doing this. I was told I had to buy a lot of the products to demo to prospective clients and ended up spending at least $5000.00 Less than a month later I realized what was really going on and that they didn’t care about me and only wanted me to find more people to sell their products instead of actually sell their products. I ended up selling the products I bought and hadn’t used at the discounted price I paid, wrapping products up as gifts for xmas and birthdays, and luckily I had a good accountant who got me most of the rest back on my taxes but it is a decision that haunts me to this day and why I would be so silly. Although, I’m proud to say that when someone approached me recently to sell for a different make-up type company my immediate answer was “no” and I haven’t thought twice about it since.
February 17, 2012 at 1:43 pm
I have a couple of regrets but the biggest one was letting my ex talk me into a lump alimony settlement when I was fine with the monthly payments. I had been collecting monthly payments from him for 3 yrs and since it was more than what I was making a month working I would just stick it in my saving account. Of course he was tired of paying me month after month so he convinced me how it would be better ( for him ) to just settle on a number, so after I noted how I could pay off all my debits I gave him a number, he agreed. It was great to have all my medical bills paid and no more cc debit. Until last yr, when I had a heart attack at work and was with out any money coming in for 7 months and had to live on my savings month to month. Now that I’m on disablity and have very little coming in a month I kick myself everyday thinking how things would have been different if I never settled for that lump sum and still had the monthly payments
February 17, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Regrets, I’ve had a few. I regret not being a smarter home buyer! We bought a fixer with, what we thought, was enough to fix the house but after a couple of bad contractors and bigger problems then we anticipated we are back in debt and I still don’t have a finished kitchen, bathroom or floor! And we are kinda stuck now. Live and learn!
February 22, 2012 at 10:39 am
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February 22, 2012 at 6:19 pm
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