No regrets

If I could go back in time and change things that I have done, that I am not happy with, I don’t think I would.

All those things shaped me, made me what I am today, and that I have to say I am pretty happy with what I have become. Of course there were stupid things, situation where I wish now that I had acted differently. But if I had acted another way, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.

Say, for example, that my grandmother had let me play the piano, which was my wish when I was seven. Or that she would have let me go horseback riding with some of the girls in my class.

Perhaps I would have become really good at playing the piano, and I would have never left Sweden. Or perhaps I would have ended up struggling so much it would have turned me away from music altogether. Instead, I played the violin up until the day my grandfather died. And I sang in the chorus, which I still enjoy doing.

I also ended up taking piano lessons – from a real pro. They didn’t last for long, but at least I can say I tried.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed horseback riding so much I eventually got my own horse. Then I would have never been able to leave him behind to come to the United States. Or I could have been thrown off a horse as a girl, gotten really hurt and never been able to walk again. You never know.

And because of my grandmother’s fear of horses, I was always fascinated by them and all other animals. That’s what led me to live on a horse farm in Bethany. It’s what led me to my overwhelming love for animals.them and all other animals. me away from music altogether.

So by telling me I couldn’t play the piano or ride a horse, my grandmother changed the course of my life. Of course, she probably regrets it today when she doesn’t get to see me as often anymore. But I don’t regret a thing.