Hits and mostly misses

Guns & Gear Guns
1

Life, in all its meandering complexity, is inevitably composed of a series of choices—moments when one stands at the crossroads, weighing options, feeling the weight of uncertainty. Time, inexorably forward-moving, does not allow for rewinding the tape or trying out alternate scripts. It is only in quiet retrospect, sometimes years later, that the true gravity of certain missed opportunities reveals itself. These are the moments that linger in memory, often with a tinge of regret or a wistful “what if,” as we reflect on the paths not taken and the actions left unmade.

I was thinking about that Colt Cobra for 550.00 that I ended up passing on years ago because at the time it was expensive I also had seen an ACOG sight for $200.00 that right now would be really cool to have. There have been several things that I look back on and think, DANG! I should have just bought it when I had the chance.

While the ache of missed opportunities can be sharp, it is also instructive. These moments teach us about our fears and values, about the risks we are willing to take, and about the importance of presence and intention. Rather than being consumed by regret, we can choose to learn from it.

Many find, after years of looking back, that the pain of inaction spurs them towards greater openness. The lesson is not to seize every single opportunity—such a life would be exhausting and unfocused—but to recognize when the stakes are high, when something feels meaningful, and to act with courage.

In reflecting on the opportunities we wish we had seized, we are reminded of our capacity for change. The past cannot be rewritten, but the future is always unwritten—a canvas ready for action, for courage, and for the pursuit of what truly matters.

I used to have a 1947 Jeep that needed work on it but I had just got married and needed a family vehicle and I sold it. I look back now and wished so bad I had kept it and continued to work on it. Now I have a truck my dad gave my brother then he gave it to me. I continue fixing it up putting money into it making it a really nice truck. I learned to invest into what I already have and just make it better. I have learned from my not acting on pass losses and have now found appreciation for the things I do have now. Still wish I had the Jeep and the Colt Cobra.

So, are there things that you think about missing out on?

11 Likes
2

Buying my first vehicle,…

I had the opportunity to get a decent condition 1948 ford F2, a similar condition 1951 Chevy 5 window one ton, or a good condition first generation Toyota Land Cruiser….

I bought the ford because it had the V8…. (I was 15)

Hindsight being 20/20, the Toyota would’ve been the best investment if I still had it today…. :man_facepalming:t2:

Of course after some significant restoration, I had to sell the ford anyway….

About 5 years ago I found it again! Even had the opportunity to buy it back if I’d have been a little more persistent….

It’s gone for good this time.

8 Likes
3

All the girls I passed up on in the last 30 years, I surely wanted too but I used the brain between my ears. :face_exhaling:

For one reason or another I thought it was a bad idea at the time. I still think about them from time to time and wonder what might have been. :wink:

12 Likes
4

I had rules to go by when I was single.

Do they like fishing? Do they like guns? If they did not seem interested with me the first time, then there is no second time. How they keep their bedroom is how they are going to keep their home. Never date an old girlfriend’s sister. What their mother and father are like is what they are going to be like. Never put your hose in a hole you are not willing to be married to.

rules are important to have; without them we become uncivilized.

11 Likes
5

I ride a little 2009 Sportster 883cc motorcycle, bought used when it was 10 years old. I was so close to trading it in last year for a brand new Triumph. Thankfully, trade in value was so low, I came to my senses and decided I didn’t need monthly payments. Just take care of my used HD.

Well, today, I just posted it for sale so I could get a used Softail.

Hit or miss? :thinking:

9 Likes
6

A miss.

4 Likes
7

I try not to think about past deal with today and plan for tomorrow. I can’t change what ever it was so just move on.

12 Likes
8

1940 thru 1960.

6 Likes
9

:roll_eyes: I didn’t say anything about courting. :rofl:

7 Likes
10

Learn from your mistakes but do not linger on them. It is what it is.

9 Likes
11

I’m one of the fortunate ones I guess. No regrets that I can remember, but my needs have always been simple.

8 Likes
12

I try to live by the old adage, “The most important things in life are not things.”

11 Likes
13

:+1::+1::+1::+1::+1::+1::+1::+1::+1:

3 Likes
14

…like talking to my dad before his untimely passing.

9 Likes
15

My mom wasn’t doing great, and my sisters tenants had just left her rental property,…

So she modified the rental to be more accessible for our mom.

Everything was set up and ready to move mom up to Denver in a week, but I was on vacation the week before the move….

Sis even said I should go down and visit mom….

She passed in her sleep watching tv the day before we were set to start moving her….

I never got to say I loved her because I thought I would be seeing her in just a few days.

Never miss an opportunity to tell a loved one that you love them.

10 Likes
16

Misses:

  1. Should of bought the Sig 45ACP C3 4” barrel 1911 I saw at a gun show. It was brand new and could have walked out with it for $800, iincluding taxes and transfer.
  2. Should of bought this beauty, but wanted 45ACP, not 10mm. Thought about it and went back to buy the next day and it was gone
  3. 20210406_130434
    20210406_1304341920×933 195 KB
6 Likes
17

IIRC that sig c3 is a officer extended alloy lower matched with a commander type slide

5 Likes
18

I just spent the day with my mom. Very special time to have with her. Looking at going back this week to shoot some shotguns with her.

6 Likes
19

My relationship with my mother and stepfather is entirely TLDR.

Suffice to say, if it weren’t for the efforts of my sister and I, we would’ve cremated both them over a decade earlier.

It still tears me up to think of the things I did to help her live another 15 years,… only to miss saying goodbye by a day.

Don’t miss that next opportunity to tell your loved ones that you love them.

6 Likes
20

You are fortunate. I had not missed my mother in over 25 years, and did not care when I found out that she finally died. I was one of her “bad” children. I had far better relations with my mother and father-in-law than I ever had with my parents. I know more about my in-laws than I do about my own parents - and what I do know, is generally not good.

6 Likes