On the first day of the last year of my fifties, I am flooded with hope, and if I’m honest, a few regrets.

The fifties were my best decade. I highly recommend this era to all my friends. You finally gain self-esteem and confidence, which is probably tied to a deterioration in the frontal lobe. I say what I feel, and I mean what I say. The term for this is the “F-You Fifties,” but I like to think of it as the “Finally Me Fifties.”

Furthermore, I am totally kicking ass in what is called the second act. I published my first books, I launched two beautiful boys into the world, and I’m re-discovering ways to stay relevant. Life is very good as I look to the beginning of the third act, years 60 to 90.

But still, I have a few regrets. What can I say? I am practicing and not yet perfecting. Learn from me people.

Don’t let this happen to you.

1. I regret the hours, days, years and decades I spent trying to straighten my hair. What the frizz? From now on my hair is going to do its own thing. If you see me extremely well coifed, please know that someone else did it and I will soon return to normal.

2. I regret having let some people go. From now on, no one gets left behind in this crazy journey. I am going to remember and keep up with all of you, at least on Facebook.

3. I regret having fallen away from high school friends. At my school, we were too grown up for our own good, and the adults behaved like children. At graduation I left, and I never went back emotionally, physically or spiritually. But now some of my friends are dying. It makes me realize that I may want to find my way back to others before it is too late.

4. I regret buying sensible clothes. I feel my spirit animal cry when I put on a practical, water-resistant, machine-washable coat. From now on, I will only buy things that delight. That goes double-dog for outerwear. Bring on the leopard and shiny things.

5. I regret the years I spent in low heels, because now I can only wear low heels. I never wore a 4-inch stiletto. I never had a pair of Manolo Blahniks or Jimmy Choos. If I bought a pair today, they would have to go on a shelf like a work of art. This makes me very, very sad. Friends, do not live to regret your shoe purchases.

6. I regret having walked away from a certain amount of family drama. I don’t like drama, the she-said-victim-blaming-shaming games, but I can’t say the same for some of my loved ones. From now on, when the curtain goes up and the crazy sets in, I promise I will try to remain in my seat and stick it out. There is too much at stake to walk away.

However, I have come to a point where I also do not regret a lot of my biggest mistakes, my first marriage or past love affairs, certain haircuts, shoulder pads or bell bottoms.  

I learned from all of it, and now I’m almost ready to move on. What do you regret? I am really curious. Please let me know in the comments below.

Michelle Marchildon is the Yogi Muse. She is the author of Fearless After Fifty: How to Thrive with Grace, Grit and Yoga, now available on Audible.