What are you wistful you will never do, be or see?

[CoddlingMolly]

It's hard to explain what I mean but I'll try!

One relating to the future...I feel sad that I won't be around when humans inevitably connect with some other form of life or some incredible space discovery.

There's one regret I have about the past...That I wasn't around for the hippie era.

One that's kind of odd and I can't put my finger on why I feel like this but...I was a teenager in the late 90s/early 2000s and I always had this weird regret that I couldn't ever experience being an American high school kid or going to an American college. Nit sure why but that's really strongly connected to that era and my age then.

Just wondering whether anyone else gets these wistful thoughts!

Same 😡
Also that I was never alive in the time of the dinosaurs

I always intended to see Paul Simon and Steely Dan live but never managed to either be organised enough or rich enough to do either. I think part of me felt that I didn't deserve to be able to go to live gigs. Since missing then both I've really made an effort to see more bands.

On the theme of hair, I'm a teensy bit wistful my children don't have red hair (any shade). I adore red hair on anyone so would have been thrilled if my children had that. I also love them the way they are though of course <obligatory reassurance that really goes without saying>

The intelligence services absolutely recruit people without degrees and are great for midlife career changers. Obviously people mostly think about super secret agent spies but mostly they employ in a whole range of ‘normal’ roles - HR, finance, IT (including the service desk type folks for when you get locked out of your computer), security people, general admin type roles, etc. And, like with other big government departments, once in you can look at changing roles, training opportunities, etc.

If you’re still interested it’s worth looking into.

Was lucky enough to go to St Petersburg in 2019 but I’ll forever regret not going to Eritrea in the 90s.

2017 not 2019.

Join the navy
Been an engineer

Sometimes I wonder about all the royal wedding and funerals I won't see as well, which is quite sad but true - especially as it has just struck me I have never considered this for my OWN family!

Another vote for Concorde. I had the opportunity to travel on its scheduled LHRJFK route as a staff standby passenger for about £450 one way but I didn’t get round to doing it, then the crash happened and when the aircraft returned to service the deal was no longer available.

I did, however, go to Russia in 2014. We flew to St Petersburg, did all the sights, then we took the high speed train to Moscow & did that. With apologies to all those who missed out, it really was a fabulous experience and well worth the hassle & expense of getting tourist visas. Hopefully the current situation won’t last forever. 🤞

This isn't pathetic at all. I'm also gluten free and I totally know what you mean. It's often the little things that get me - like being left out when someone brings cakes in to the office or whatever. Just once I would like to be able to eat what I actually WANT, not whatever I get stuck with.

In addition to being sad that I will never not have this awful health condition, I also wish that I could do the whole "normal" thing and meet someone and have a family. It isn't going to happen for various reasons. I feel like an alien from another world sometimes.

Sorry for the pity party 😂

I have this too. Although it would have been Oz or NZ for me. I remember when my gf at the time said she didn't want to emigrate after we'd just got back from visiting. I remember going to the bathroom and crying. I was so so disappointed. I dreamed about it for years but could never make it happen. No chance now unless I win the lottery.

Also, that I wasn't around when Studio 54 was at its height.

My parents had the opportunity to emigrate when I was a kid. They decided against it as they had travelled a lot before and wanted somewhere safe and stable for us to grow up. Having an experience of living abroad in our formative years would have been mind blowing. I lived and worked abroad as an adult but it's not the same.

I used to want to be like that too, until I saw Julianne Moore's character in The Hours.

I realise a lot of these women were trapped and could be nothing else, however much their heart desired it.

By the time the freedom of the late 60s came along a decade later, they were too old and settled.

I have been married twice but both failed. One from cheating and one from DV.
I am sad that I will never know a proper mutually supportive relationship. I'm fine on my own. But sad.

....and you can get specialist companies that do travel insurance for countries that are on the FCDO advisory list.

I recently got 10 days cover for travel to Yemen for about £85, so Russia will definitely be covered too.

I am also massively wistful about this!

I’d like to see edited highlights of the history of the Earth, from the beginning to the end. Imagine seeing the dinosaurs, the Romans and then what happens with global warming and the human race.

Second language. I had the opportunity when young, but didn't try hard enough. I can try now, but will never be able to roll my 'r's' properly!

Horse riding - well, the whole culture to go with it really. The outfits, helmets, boots, clip clopping along country lanes, etc. We were not rich enough when I was young, and there are no horses within 140 km of me now.

I want to see the Hindu Kush but I doubt it will ever be safe enough to travel there.

I feel wistful and longing for those long carefree nights out in the 90's.
I feel deeply sad that my son will never experience a good party night without the fear of being photographed, tagged and forever embedded in social media.

I feel sad/wistful that I will never see or meet a huge whale underwater. I dream about it sometimes.

I feel sad I can't ever seem to visit a country anymore without feeling like a total tourist. I felt more invisible 20 years ago and would happily jump on buses going to unknown destinations, hitchhike and go off with interesting strangers. I wouldn't dream of it now. I wish it was still possible but the world feels more hostile now. I've probably just watched too much crimewatch and too mnay unsolved murder documentaries.

The whale isn't it if the question surely? It truly is a majestic experience.

It is not easy, but it is not out of the question. Some friends of mine did this last year by flying to Helsinki and taking the bus to St Petersburg. I believe the border crossing might be closed right now, on the Finnish side, but it is scheduled to reopen. My friends enjoyed the experience because there were so few other tourists there!

Mine are:

1. I will never walk on the Moon.
2. I will never be able to freely travel in Tibet.
3. I will not be around to witness the moment when the Sun gobbles up our Earth.

I understand. I am reading this and feeling very happy and satisfied after a day with my horse and my garden. Want for nothing.

Another day I could be reading this and think up loads of things that make me wistful.

That no one ever asked me to marry them
That i'll never cuddle grandchildren
That there are so many people i'll never see again.

I think it probably is sadly. I'd only ever be able to do it as a 'tourist' which would mean booking on to an 'experience' which probably has thousands of people doing it every year.

The experience in my dreams is of a kind of 'by chance' encounter, I'm swimming around in a fairly quiet part of the ocean and a whale just comes by to see what/who I am. Hangs around for a while being calm and thoughtful, then gently swims off. Magic.