For Sale: Engagement Ring, Never Used

Don’t know about you, but from time to time I like to browse Facebook Marketplace. Just recently an advert popped up for an engagement ring, “brand new in box”! What a story I’m sure it could tell.

As sad as the circumstances probably were, it’s always good to reflect on the “almosts” and “might have beens” of life. Sometimes the door that was slammed shut turns out to have been the best thing that could ever have happened.

A friend, who has now been married for decades to his soulmate, tells of having been engaged to another girl, many years before, only to discover that his intended was cheating on him. Disaster averted, blessing found.

I recently heard a speaker tell of the annoyance of having to move to other accommodations from a hotel in the World Trade Centre. That was on the evening of September 10, 2001. He was having breakfast in his new hotel when he heard the news of the attack on the twin towers. Disaster averted.

Another story I heard recently was of a fellow who went to the UK to follow some research, finding out on arrival that the grant had been rescinded. “However,” said the director of the program, “I’m teaching the same material at the University, and there is a fully paid PhD program available. Would you be interested?” Well, of course my friend was interested, and to say his life was radically changed would be a gross understatement.

There are many stories of passengers arriving late for the Titanic or failing to get tickets for an event where a mass shooting occurred. I could go on and on, but you get the point. As the saying goes, sometimes the best luck is not getting what you wanted.

Regret is a funny thing, and mostly not good. By coddling and clinging to remorse over something that might have been, we lose the joy of what is. Trying to reclaim a past that never was and never will be, we lose the satisfaction of the present and of the future.

It would seem that if you have a never-used engagement ring sitting around gathering dust and reminding you of a might-have-been, the smart thing to do is sell it and move on. The sweet wine of today always beats the sour grapes of yesterday.