What if?

"The past is the past." 
A simple saying that is so prominent in our day to day lives. We are told not to live in the past, not to have regrets, to basically forget our past. 
From my eighteen years of wisdom, I call bull. 

Whether we are willing to admit it or not, every single person has looked back on their life and hoped to do something different or wondered how their life would be like now if they had made different choices. 

What if? What if I had studied more for that math test? What if I had made more of an effort to be friends with that girl? What if I had pushed myself harder during those endless soccer workouts and practices? What if? 

Many times I have wished that I owned a time machine; I have wished that I could go back in time and make better decisions or taken more chances in life. Being a sheltered child, I was afraid to be adventurous for the longest time. I was afraid to roam in the hallways during my 7th grade science class. I was afraid to hangout with the boy who was labeled as a party boy. I was afraid of love. I was afraid of not fitting in. 

However, I have learned so much from my past. I have learned not to shut people out. I have learned to push myself even when my mind keeps telling me, "There is no way I can finish this lap,". I have that it is not cool whatsoever to judge someone. I have learned to take chances. I am learning to love.